Formed for God's Family, Part 2

Chuckle: "I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-fitting clothing. If I had any loose-fitting clothes, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place." --Unknown

Good Quote: “Devotion to the family and devotion to the Church are not different and separate things.” --Boyd K. Packer

MORE ABOUT THE FAMILY OF GOD: (Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from Rick Warren's "Meditations on the Purpose Driven Life.")

"God has given us the privilege of being born again so that now we are members of God's own family. The family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth" (I Peter 1:3 NJB).

We continue with our overview of Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life." The first purpose of our lives is to bring pleasure to God by serving and worshiping him. The second purpose is to belong to God's family as described in our Scripture verse. What is the foundation of this family? "If a building has no support and foundation it collapses. In the same way you need support from other people and a foundation to keep you strong in your walk with God. You find that loving support when you join your brothers and sisters in Christ's church."

Not only is the church God's family, the Bible calls it the body of Christ. When you become a member of the family of God, you also become a member of Christ's body. We are all connected and dependent upon each other. The Bible makes no mention of "lone ranger" Christians. "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:4-5 NIV). As a member of God's family and Christ's Body, the church, you are a part of wonderful and responsive support system. Within the fellowship of his church, Christ wants us to love each other unconditionally, support each other without reservation, and be involved together as a team in doing God's work.

Here's how Christ's relationship to the church is described in Scripture. "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV). If we know Christ as Lord and Savior, we can rejoice with the assurance that we a part of God's family. Isn't that a comforting thought? Here are some ways we strengthen one another within God's family:

"Love one another." "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11 NIV).

"Encourage one another." "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another" (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).

"Serve one another." "Serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13 NIV).

"Pray for one another." "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other" (James 5:16 NIV)."

Have a great day as you rejoice as a member of God's family!

Love, Jerry & Dotse