One of God's great gifts

Family! Pleasure, pain, comforting, aggravating - and so much more, right? A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going with my Mom and Dad to a reunion of her family in Indiana. For a weekend I interacted with a few dozen people with whom I share nothing but DNA because of having the same ancestor back a few generations! We gathered from all over the country, bringing our stories (wonder if some were tall tales?) and our pictures to share. Why would strangers (some of us, others were well acquainted) make the effort, spend the money, and invest the time to meet people who share the same great Grandfather? I'm sure that someone could give me the scientific reasons, but all I know is I felt warmth, acceptance, and a sense of kinship. Knowing who those distant cousins are helps me find a 'place' in this world.


If you're a regular reader of TFTD, you know that I am really attached to my family. Stories about my wife, my kids, and the grandkids show up here often! The greatest joys of my life are found in my adult kids, my wife, and our extended clan. My wealth is not in the bank, it's in the love we share. When we vacation, it's almost always to connect with the kids. We talk weekly, sometimes more often. I love to rejoice with them, cry with them, and to offer advice - sometimes when asked, sometimes even when they don't want it! Why? Because they are my family!


We have a big, happy family; certainly not without stresses, not without dysfunction, for ours is a family that is real and that is impacted by the sinful world where we all live. We are saints in process! Truthfully, we have grown closer in the tough times when we have had to fight through misunderstandings and disappointments with the choice of love. Admittedly, we are God-blessed family, too, and for that I have to thank the godly grandparents who sowed the seed of the Gospel into our extended families 60-70 years ago, creating a legacy of godliness from which I am reaping huge benefits.


The Bible says "Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families;...." (Psalm 68:5-6, NLT) God is a family man. Genesis is very clear that the family is His idea. The nurture of the family is a high priority for God. That fact is quite clear when we consider all the fences God builds around family relationships and the emphasis His Word places on proper order of the godly family.


Do you regard your family as a gift of God? Some of you just sighed, I heard it. You're thinking, "My family - a gift from God? Come on. They only cause me grief." Sure, I know that is sometimes true. Never the less, the family is God's plan, and we must value it. The person who treats his family with contempt, robs from himself, and misses the best that God has prepared.


The late Ray Stedman, pastor and writer, said,
"A man once asked some of his friends, "What are the three most wonderful words in the English language?"
One unmarried young man said, "To me the most wonderful words in the English language are, 'I love you.'"
A married man said, "The three most wonderful words are, 'Home Sweet Home.'"
The third man said, "To me the three most wonderful words are 'Enclosed find check.'"
I do not wish to make too much of the story except to say it may be symptomatic of an age in which materialism has become the strongest factor of our day, eclipsing even "Home Sweet Home" or "I love you."

What are your family values? Are you highly committed to your family, praying for them, loving them, serving them, and building them up?
Or have you chosen to love the things of life?
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I'll be starting a series of messages this Sunday about the Christian family.
See you in church at 10:15 AM.