Who Are My Brothers and Sisters?

Scripture For The Day 

January 17, 2023

"Who Are My Brothers and Sisters?"  

Who are my brothers and sisters? According to Jesus in Mark 3:32-35, He explains to us, ' Whoever does the Will of God, is my brother, and sister, and mother”. He wasn’t saying that our biological families were unimportant. He was letting us know that a spiritual bond, a spiritual relationship is stronger than anything else. This is not based on membership to a specific church, but on a true believer in JESUS CHRIST.  Those of us who have truly accepted JESUS Christ into our hearts recognize that we need a Savior. We need His Grace. We need His Mercy. We need His Precious Blood Atonement. We are all messed up and need help. A cry for forgiveness and acceptance leads to adoption into the Family of God. We are His Children. Blood is thicker than water- The Blood of Jesus, that is. With that Promise, comes responsibility towards each other. Pray for each other, care for each other, and forgive each other. Just like a biological family, we will get on each other’s nerves from time to time. We can still love those that irritate us or hurt us. In fact, we are instructed to do just that. I truly believe that is why God put the dispute between Paul and Barnabas regarding John Mark in His Word, for us to understand that we will not always get along. Personalities will clash. Disagreements will happen.

 But we can still forgive.

Acts 15:36-41 Paul was ready to leave on another mission trip and Barnabas his partner wanted to take John Mark, his cousin, with them. In fact, Barnabas was insisting upon it. Verse 39 says there was a sharp disagreement. Voices were raised, harsh words were said and Barnabas decided to leave Paul and go elsewhere with John Mark. Paul held a bit of a grudge against John Mark. Mark had abandoned them on a previous journey. There are speculations about why he left but what we do know is that it left a bad taste in Paul’s mouth. He didn’t trust Mark.

Who was right? That part doesn’t matter. Sometimes, life doesn’t always fall into black or white areas. Sometimes there is gray. But the lesson here is that we are all messed up. We all struggle with relationships, whether biological or spiritual. That’s life.  We learn later in God’s Word that Paul learned to forgive and love John Mark and they become good friends. The final reference to Mark by Paul is in 2 Timothy 4:11- “Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for is very useful to me for ministry”. In his last days, Paul needed Mark to be with him to comfort and encourage him.  How things can change with Jesus in your heart never ceases to amaze me.

Don't hold grudges. Love Each Other. Pray for Each Other. Forgive Each Other. 

Even when you disagree. 



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