SEPTEMBER 15
FATHER'S FAMILY
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. (WEB)
This is the first part of a two-part blog where I will discuss the family model that our God and Father has designed for His children. I find it interesting how descriptive the Apostle Paul is in today's Scripture passage, using the illustration of a nursing mother to depict his relationship with the Thessalonians church.
He doesn't describe his relationship with these dear folks as organizational or structural, but purely relational. You could not depict a more intimate bond than that of a nursing mother and her children. And of course, a mother's heart for her children is not defined by what she receives from the relationship, but by what she gives.
My prayer today is that we understand what our Father desires in our relationships with each other. Even if we are like an army in some way, that does not define us. While we may need some structure to strengthen our connections, it is not our organization that defines us.
The main reason we can call each other 'brother' or 'sister' is because we share the same Father. And our Father is all about His family. It has always been that way and always will be. When Paul used the example of a nursing mother to show his care for the Thessalonians, I wonder if he was thinking about when Father God said the same thing to the nation of Israel?
Isaiah 66:10-13
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied at the comforting breasts; that you may drink deeply, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.”For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and you will nurse. You will be carried on her side, and will be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.” (WEB)
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. (WEB)
This is the first part of a two-part blog where I will discuss the family model that our God and Father has designed for His children. I find it interesting how descriptive the Apostle Paul is in today's Scripture passage, using the illustration of a nursing mother to depict his relationship with the Thessalonians church.
He doesn't describe his relationship with these dear folks as organizational or structural, but purely relational. You could not depict a more intimate bond than that of a nursing mother and her children. And of course, a mother's heart for her children is not defined by what she receives from the relationship, but by what she gives.
My prayer today is that we understand what our Father desires in our relationships with each other. Even if we are like an army in some way, that does not define us. While we may need some structure to strengthen our connections, it is not our organization that defines us.
The main reason we can call each other 'brother' or 'sister' is because we share the same Father. And our Father is all about His family. It has always been that way and always will be. When Paul used the example of a nursing mother to show his care for the Thessalonians, I wonder if he was thinking about when Father God said the same thing to the nation of Israel?
Isaiah 66:10-13
“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied at the comforting breasts; that you may drink deeply, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.”For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and you will nurse. You will be carried on her side, and will be dandled on her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.” (WEB)