2006-03-10 - The Seven Last Words of Christ

Part 2

John 19:26 (NASB) When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" ²⁷ Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

What love was manifested by John. Sometimes it's hard enough to take into one's household a relative, much less a friend's mother! But John embraced Mary into his own family.

Some of us were blessed with loving, healthy families; others grew up in homes where they were abused, neglected, or where there was just general poor parenting. And now, some of us have family or extended family nearby, while some of us have none, or at least none geographically close.

But all of us have a God-made family. No Christian should ever feel totally alone. With fellowship in the local church and some even online, all of us who call ourselves Christians have brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. The Apostle John wasn't the first to "adopt" someone into his family. God's word says, way back in the Old Testament, that He places the fatherless in families.

Contrary to what some insular families believe, in God's eyes, the word "family" isn't limited to bloodlines. An obvious example of non-blood family would be marriage. Once a couple marries, sisters-in-law become sisters, brothers-in-law become brothers, in-laws become like 2nd parents etc. - and should be treated as such. (See the Book of Ruth for a splendid example.) In fact, sometimes "adopted" families have healthier relationships than "blood" ones.

Just as with any blessing, those of us who "have" should share with those who "have not," be it money, possessions, time, energy or relationships. If so, reach out to that person. I challenge you to find one person this week, who needs you to be family for them. Look around you, at work, church, in a club you belong to. Do you see anyone who seems to be "alone" in the world, with no one (to quote an anonymous child) "with skin on" by their side? I would love to hear about your experiences with adopted "families." No one should ever feel totally alone; we Christians have a mandate to prevent that from happening to those in our worlds.

Comments or Questions?
Jan

CFDevJan@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org