Family

<sup>My extended family is very large. At holiday gatherings, it would not be uncommon to have 30+ people in the house, and more coming and going. Young and old, we all got along as families do...which means there were times when we didn't get along. That being said, we are still family, and in my experience growing up I knew that if one of us was in need, despite disagreements, we could always count on family to be there to help. This was a very wonderful quality about our family, something that I see being lost in the newer generations emerging in our family.

Now though my earthly family can be inconsistent in its dedication to each other, I am happily reassured that as the family of Christ, our spiritual family, continues to grow in numbers, not one of us will be overlooked, lost in a corner, or avoided out of distaste. Our Father and brother, Jesus Christ, has already assured us of this - for we are all important to Him, and despite the disagreements among us and with Him, He consistently continues to declare us His own, keeping us close to Him, and unashamedly loving us.</sup>

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.  Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.  He says,

 

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;

    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

 

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ~Hebrews 10-15