buildingbodies4christ

building on the foundation of Jesus Christ

Archive for the tag “God’s family”

31 May 2021

Plaque on the Wall

Every year for the last thirty years, my family has gathered at the beach for a week. It’s a time to rest, relax and renew relationships. It’s a time of fun for the kids and time of laughter and enjoyment for the adults (with a little golf thrown in). When the tradition first started, my nephews were young. Now, they have kids of their own. And we all gather. It’s a great time.

But looking back when it all began, no one knew we would continue this tradition for thirty years. Each year, we would decide if we were going again and the answer was always yes. It was hard on my parents in the beginning because the nephew’s didn’t always “toe the line.” They had a bit of rebellion against making beds and cleaning their room to the satisfaction of my Mom. My Mom had girls not boys so she was used to the way girls handled themselves. But over the years, Mom adjusted and we had some of the most blessed times as a family while we were at the beach; precious memories that will (hopefully) never be forgotten.

As I wrote my newsletter this month about Joshua’s commitment to serving the Lord, it was a reminder how my family has been blessed by God because of my parent’s commitment to serve the Lord. The passage found in Joshua 24:15 was engraved on a plaque that hung in the living area of my childhood home. The plaque read “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” It wasn’t much of a plaque but the statement has spoken volumes to the last three generations because of my parent’s commitment.

My parents chose a path for us which has endured many hardships but has brought significant blessings. My parents did well to instill values in the daughters which has passed to the sons and now into the sons and daughters. This generation didn’t know their great-grandparents. They didn’t know about the plaque on the wall. But they have the blessing of the commitment taken years before them. My parents did everything they could to help us as their children to love the Lord.

We were at church whenever the doors were open. It was the thing we did, but it was also a product of the time. However, it has lasted for us as a family. We haven’t always gotten it perfectly. Lord knows, I have had my own difficulties. But God has been faithful even when we have not. God still allowed the hardships to draw us back to Him or draw Him more closely during those times.

Recently, I was reminded that faith, hope and love were the greatest blessings of the Holy Spirit. However, love is the only thing that remains in heaven. First Corinthians 13:13 states: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Faith becomes sight when we see Jesus face to face. Hope becomes reality when we dwell in our heavenly place. But love is everlasting and has been and ever will be the theme of heaven. And it’s the one God commanded us to practice each and every day here on earth – to love God and to love others.

My parents are reaping the rewards of a job well done. I miss them every day. We remember their sacrifices to bring us to where we are today. We wouldn’t be in this place without them. And I thank God for them today and for all the blessings of this week – good weather, good fun and good food. But the real blessing is to know Jesus is loved and taught to the next generation in this place. We gather because of Him. We gather as a family because of Him.

God instills a sense of family in us all because of Jesus dying on a cross so that we would be adopted into His family on our belief in Him. Family is important to God the Father. It’s His way of teaching us about Himself. He is a good, good Father. God loves us like my Dad loved his daughters, although my Dad did it imperfectly, he was a good representation of my Father in heaven.

It’s no wonder our enemy is trying to destroy families. And he seems to be doing a really good job at it right now. Satan hates everything God has put into place to glorify Himself. Family has been in place since the beginning of time. It was the way God created relationships through family. It was the way we were to love one another from the beginning. It’s the atmosphere of the Church Body. Family.

It’s no wonder that Joshua spoke to the Israelites on the verge of conquering the Promised Land to proclaim his allegiance to serve God and not idols. It’s no wonder why my parents chose to hang the plaque on the wall as a reminder – that’s the commitment for our family to do the same. And now, the next generation is being taught this commitment as well. May the blessing continue…

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

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08 Jun 2017

Peace in Chaos

This week is the annual family beach trip. As I sit here typing away, children are squealing in delight. The television is blaring with cartoons. But I am in my happy place even if it’s chaotic. I love this place with the family under one roof. The youngest is under one year and the oldest – my Dad – closing in at 90 this month. The baby had a hard time adjusting to my Dad; I guess old just doesn’t come across well to the young. Anyway, family is very special to me. I love being with my nephew and their kids. The kids go strong from sun up to sun down; and I think the adults are a bit jealous to have some of that energy!

God blesses the young with the energy and the old with the dreams – the young can accomplish what the old no longer can manage. We pass the baton to the young and let them run the race. We can give guidance and instruction. But they have to pay attention to what we have to say. Many times, the young resent the boundaries we impose on them. Boundaries are there for protection. As the young grow more mature, the boundaries are adjusted to reflect their new maturity.

I think God gives us boundaries as well. We all need those protective boundaries. The ocean only goes so far. God set those boundaries at the beginning. Climate change is a big topic right now, but I believe God already allowed those boundaries to expand and contract through time. We are the ones who have built where we shouldn’t have built.

The beach where we stay is located on an island. At the point of the island, we can see across to the next island. The other island has houses built to the very tip. However, there is a multitude of sandbags lining the shore to protect the houses that were never meant to be there in the first place. The planners didn’t plan for the shifting sands to shift, but it has occurred just as God allowed from the beginning.

God knows the boundaries will be pushed. Culture resents the boundaries He established from the beginning. Those houses will be long gone in a few years; the sands on the island shifts as the tide flows. But we are to be ones who never shifts as the tide of culture shifts. Our foundation is on the rock of Jesus. Our foundation does not move according to culture change. Right now that is unacceptable. We might experience blow back from our narrow view. God, however, is not pleased when culture shifts away from Him.

As the people of God, we are not to judge but to love. God never gave us the right to judge others. That is His right. His Word tells us our right is to love as Jesus loved. It’s easy to love my family. They are a loving bunch. I think God gave us a picture of a family in order to show us where we stand with Him. He wants all of His children to get along. He wants His family to show love to others outside His family. God is all about adoption and would love to graft all the people of the world into His family.

As my family has grown over the years (with new people being grafted in), we have all had to make adjustments. But we live with the same rules when we come together. We have the same understanding. There may be chaos in our midst, but there is a peace that fills the room. Love is the undercurrent that never shifts from our foundations. Yes, there is discipline when someone breaks the rules. There is crying involved at least once a day. But at the end of the day, we know that love always prevails.

So it should be with God’s family. Our foundation is built on love. Chaos may happen all around us, but peace is always part of our DNA through Jesus; and love always prevails at the end of the day. God has allowed what is taking place today, but it’s never His will to let others dictate how we live. When we live by His rules and His boundaries, we are in a happy place. Our lives work better and the peace fills the room of our hearts. This is God’s way. His foundation never shifts, and we can stand on that promise. The beach is a good place to learn how to be in a loving family.

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NLT)

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