AUGUST 5
GOD'S FAMILY MODEL
1 Timothy 5:1-2
Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. (WEB)
God is all about family. In Ephesians 3:14-15, the Apostle Paul says... For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (WEB). The love community within the Trinity consists of a Father, a Son, and their shared Spirit.
When God created Adam and Eve, He wanted to expand His family. Our Father planned that the human race would start with His blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication (Genesis 1:28), spreading His family across the world.
In today's Scripture reading, Paul encourages his young spiritual son, Timothy, to view the church as an extension of his own family. Treat older men like fathers, younger men like brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. It was never God's plan for us to relate to each other as part of an organization. You can leave an organization anytime, but your family is your family for life!
Today, I pray that we all see how it blesses our Father's heart when we treat each other like true brothers and sisters. Let's stop judging family members of different denominations because they have personal preferences different from ours.
May the love of family that comes from God reign over any personal biases we have. May those around us truly see that we call each other 'brother' and 'sister' simply because we share the same Father. May the fulfillment of our elder brother's high priestly prayer in John 17 come true in this generation.
John 17:20-21
Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. (WEB)
Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. (WEB)
God is all about family. In Ephesians 3:14-15, the Apostle Paul says... For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (WEB). The love community within the Trinity consists of a Father, a Son, and their shared Spirit.
When God created Adam and Eve, He wanted to expand His family. Our Father planned that the human race would start with His blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication (Genesis 1:28), spreading His family across the world.
In today's Scripture reading, Paul encourages his young spiritual son, Timothy, to view the church as an extension of his own family. Treat older men like fathers, younger men like brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. It was never God's plan for us to relate to each other as part of an organization. You can leave an organization anytime, but your family is your family for life!
Today, I pray that we all see how it blesses our Father's heart when we treat each other like true brothers and sisters. Let's stop judging family members of different denominations because they have personal preferences different from ours.
May the love of family that comes from God reign over any personal biases we have. May those around us truly see that we call each other 'brother' and 'sister' simply because we share the same Father. May the fulfillment of our elder brother's high priestly prayer in John 17 come true in this generation.
John 17:20-21
Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. (WEB)