"that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" - John 17:41 (NIV).
At the end of every year there is one spectacular thing bound to happen. In Uganda the capital city of Kampala goes absolutely quiet as people horde out to be with their families in the countryside. Many may have been saving hard and this is the time to go back and enjoy the fruits of their hard work with family. Elsewhere the streets of many cities around the world are empty because many have too travelled afar to be with family.
Family is one of those blessings God gave His children to enjoy! First, we have the biological families largely of our parents, siblings, cousins, grannies, nieces and nephews. Until of late most close family members tended not to live far apart. The family helped raise its members by providing not just food but emotional care as well. Once during a draught Jacob sent his family to Egypt for food where it was saved by a family member, Joseph, once discarded (Genesis 47).
For believers God has not only blessed us with the gift of a biological family but also a spiritual family of the brethren. In fact, the brethren might in some situations end up being more closer to one than the biological members. One aspect that endears them together is a common faith they share in Jesus Christ as a personal saviour and the hope of spending eternity together.
It is so easy at times to take family for granted, yet usually in difficulty it is family that comes to our rescue. Families are the anchor of support for most who have been abandoned by anyone out there. Look at those who are sick in hospital or locked up in jail. The spiritual family of believers would in many places pray with those abandoned and give one comfort by pointing to our common faith in Jesus.
Today, let us be thankful to God for the gift of family. Know you are blessed to have family around you as not everyone has! Look to your spiritual family of the brethren to strengthen your faith as it should!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of heaven and earth, I thank you of the blessings of my biological family and the spiritual family you have given me to be a source of strength and comfort through faith in Jesus!
Related upcoming events
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28/04/2024 - 29/04/2024 All day"The Lord is my shepherd!" (Psalm 23:1)
Psalm 23 of David is perhaps one of the best prayers ever written, with nuggets and inspirations, of benefit to us since and
ever before. “The LORD is my shepherd, “David begins.” I lack nothing” (vv 1). What is it that you lack? In his life David had started out as a shepherd, and he knew very well, that a shepherd’s job is to watch over his sheep, feed and water them, and since the Lord is our shepherd, we his sheep shall lack nothing.Verse 2 -3 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” This exactly what a good shepherd does; he takes his sheep to the best fodder, ensuring that his sheep are well fed and rested. When the sheep are restless the good shepherd is troubled. Our God desires and is pleased when we are at peace.
Sometimes we may all find ourselves going through a storm. In Verse 4- 5, David says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Christian life is not without difficulties, but here David points us to God as our comforter and deliverer. We always have the staff of prayer to lean on.
In Verse 5, he writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In his tumultuous life, David had to battle with many enemies, ranging from King Saul, to foreigners and members of his own family. He knew a lot about betrayal. And, we too, may face enemies no less, from those that oppose us in our workplace for their ambition’s sake, to those who are not pleased because of the Gospel we preach. Yet here, just as David, we are assured that victory is on our side- this is why our cup overflows.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (vv 6). The one who walks with God has a fresh smile ever, for God is with him. The blessings of God are with him wherever he goes.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham,
maker of heaven and earth, as David prayed in Psalm 23, may I not be troubled, for you are my shepherd ever watching over me and your goodness goes ahead of me!
