Loyal to Love

Read John 19:25-27

Our Lord, the Lamb of God who was born to die, bore our sin to free us to live in love, truth and obedience. This freedom contradicts all other definitions of love that omit God as its core foundation. 

From the very first family, conflict, deception, sin, and chaos penetrated and severed relationships; most profoundly humanity’s relationship to God. What exactly does it mean to be family? What did God intend? “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). One of the greatest joys in coming to faith is that we are a part of the family of Christ, loved and accepted, no longer rejected, hidden or ashamed; forever grafted into the fellowship.  

Jesus modeled for us the significance of spiritual family when he spoke into the mother/son relationship between Mary and John. The barriers of blood relations that can separate, neglect, denounce, torment and abandon are no longer to define followers of Christ. The love of Christ in our hearts commands so much more of us than we could ever humanly manufacture. 

When we welcome God’s beloved expansively (2 Peter 1:3-8) into our ‘heart-space’ including the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, the prisoner, the widow and the orphan; we’re privileged to drink deeply and experience the immensity of the divine joy, immersing us in lavish fellowship with the Triune God.  

God came, not as a deity who chose to save from afar. He enters into the cacophony of human messiness, and we are compelled to enter into the messy lives of those He loves. We are to invite them into our messy lives, that we all may be healed together, reflecting His unblemished glory. God’s glory, the divine light of Truth shines in the darkness for those yet to believe, those who are looking for a reason to hope and trust in His love. 

For Family Discussion: Name your family members, and then name people that are like family to you. How can you bring them closer to Jesus? 

For Personal Reflection: What are some of the blessings you enjoy among your spiritual family members? Who do you most want to invite into God’s family?  

by Danielle Curtiss