JESUS SPEAKING
Then his brothers, and his mother came, and standing outside they sent to him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.” But he answered them saying, “Who is my mother, or my brothers?” And he looked around in a circle at those who sat about him, and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother” (Mark 3: 31-35.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
During the Holiday season, families gather to celebrate the birth of Christ. What makes a family is a common parent. Christ says, that “unless a man be reborn, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” He is referring to the spiritual birth, the inward birth, that makes a person a son or a daughter of God. Everyone who calls Jesus Christ Lord, also calls the eternal God, their Father. In another scripture, we read, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but spirit gives birth to spirit.” His mother and brothers had come to see him (they were his family by means of a fleshly birth.) Yet all those sitting around him, listening, were his brothers and sisters and mother, by means of a spiritual birth. The evidence that they had become sons and daughters of God was in their actions. Jesus says, “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother.” God is loving, so his children are loving. God seeks the lost, so too, his children seek them. God is kind to both the evil and the good alike; his children pray for evil people, show them kindness, and love them. God gives to everyone who asks of him; therefore Jesus says, “Give to everyone who asks.” God forgives even the worst sinner who turns to him; Jesus instructs his followers to forgive everyone in like manner. God hears everyone who speaks to him, so his children should be good listeners. God is patient; so a child of God must also be patient. Whatever God does, those who call him Father will also do.
In the animal kingdom, there are a variety of different species. Each species is unique in the way they are shaped, in the way they behave, in the way they find food, and even in the way they procreate. Mating is a huge part of life for all of God’s creatures. When a wolverine gives birth, it gives birth to one of its own kind. Kangaroo’s give birth to kangaroo’s, frogs to frogs, horses to horses, goats to goats. Every newborn is raised to act and behave as it has been designed to do, and as it has been taught by its parents. Human beings are different. Though we are all made in the image of God, inside, every person is the offspring of two possible Fathers. There are those whose father is the devil, and they do the works of their father (They strive to get ahead; they strive for money, for power, for beauty, for self-fulfillment; they store things up in abundance that they cannot use; they seek to take advantage of others, and to turn other people away from God.) Then there are those who are the offspring of God and they do the works of their Father (they strive to love others, to give to others, and to be self-less; they strive to care for those in need, to reach out to the lost, and to bring hope to the hopeless; they desire to set others free from the bondage of sin, and restore them to healthy living. They strive to please their Father, and to turn others away from the devil and back toward God.)
Who is your Father? Are you doing the works of God, or the works of the devil? Are you serving others, loving others, reaching out to others, or are you serving yourself, trying to get ahead, and seeking the lusts of the flesh? If you are serving God and doing His will, you are brother and sister and mother to those who have come to call God their Father. You have a family of people who were reborn of The Spirit of God; who are doing all of the works He has asked of them; fellowship with your new family and gain strength from them. Always remember, you are not alone, and God is with us (If you have never been born of the spirit, you can be. God is calling everyone. He is standing at the door of your heart and He is knocking. You simply need to let Him in. If you would like to open the door and let Him in, then go somewhere quiet and ask Him to come in to your heart, and to come in to your life. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins; ask Him to be your teacher, your Father, and your guide. Ask Him for His Holy Spirit and a new birth. Ask this all in the name of Jesus, and your life will never be the same. [Then get a bible and begin reading and applying it to your life. Get involved in a fellowship, and call someone right away and tell them about the decision that you have made. And, remember, if you have given your life to Christ, then you have an entire family of people you’ve never met just waiting to get to know you. I myself am now one of your new brothers, and I would love to chat with you; you can call or email me at any time, for prayer, for support, for anything.])
“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You now and we lift You up. You are an awesome and mighty God; worthy of praise. We ask You now to help us to be more like You. We desperately seek to do Your work in this place. We want You to be our Father, and we desire to be closer to You, and closer to all those who call You Father. Give us a desire to be loving, to be caring, to read Your word and to do Your will in this place, so others would look at us and see You, and praise You for the works that You are doing through us. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” May God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 