Family  

Family is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as members mature and learn to participate in the community. Historically, most human societies use family as the primary purpose of attachment, nurturance, and socialization. 

Family can have different meanings for different individuals. Such as a family consisting of grandparents, Mom, Dad, and children. Or another family that’s formed by the relationships we form with friends. If you asked a child, that child will give the most innocent answer known to man. God himself will be happy to hear the answer of a child. If the same question is asked of an adult, the answer will surprise the person answering, even the person that asked the question. I can even say that friends become family.  Friends become family in situations when our direct family is not near. Or such as how our family's best friend, our dogs, are family.  So, yes, family is different for each individual.  The dictionary's meaning for family is: -a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit: -all the descendants of a common ancestor: - a group of related things.  

Some children grow up very close to extended family members, some are raised by their extended family, and some families are not close with their extended family at all. This statement falls very close for me. Also, families grow when we marry the person we love and choose to spend our lives with. While this is the standard that many refer to when they think of the word ‘family’, the reality is this type of family dynamic is less of a norm nowadays; especially as divorce rates are rising. 

God Himself sees the family as a divine institution established by Himself, and emphasizes mutual respect, unconditional love, forgiveness among family members along with responsibility towards each other’s well-being. The church, the universal body of believers, is called the family of God. The Bible contains many verses about family, including Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 22:6, 1 Timothy 5:8, Colossians 3:20, and Genesis 2:24. These verses emphasize the importance of honoring parents, training children, providing for relatives, and the unity of marriage.  

Jesus’s teachings on family include: 

He affirmed marriage and blessed children. 

He conceived of the community of believers in familial terms transcending natural relations. 

He redefined intimate relationships, emphasizing those who work together to fulfill God's will as the true family. 

In His own words, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” 

Jesus Christ affirmed marriage and blessed children; he conceived of the community of believers in familial terms transcending those of people’s natural relations. The most striking, distinctive, and central point of Jesus’s call to discipleship. In Jesus Chris’s own words, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” The Old Testament predicts that Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword, “to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her, mother-in-law." And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matt. 10:34–36). 

Jesus knew and experienced spiritual rejection even within his own natural family (Mark 3:21; 6:1–6; John 7:1–9) and He asserted that his primary loyalty and that of his followers must be to God the Father (Luke 2:49; Mark 3:31–35). Leaving one’s biological family behind, even in a literal sense, was a commonly anticipated thing waiting to happen. During  Jesus’ initial disciples throughout his three-year earthly ministry. It appears that the disciples resumed normal family relation, (1 Cor. 9:5). It’s made clear by what is perhaps the earliest account of Jesus’s calling of his disciples in Mark’s Gospel, when Jesus calls Simon, his brother Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, and these men were fishermen by trait. He called them to leave their trait, and family contexts to follow Jesus (Mark 1:16–20 par. Matt. 4:18–22; cf. Luke 5:2–11). 

Those resisting Jesus’s call to discipleship are unwilling to forsake their natural ties in favor of total allegiance to Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke it records a series of three such memorable instances. Where would-be disciples are unwilling to follow him unconditionally and are being told, respectively, that “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”; “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God”; and “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:58, 60, 62 NIV; cf. Matt. 8:19–22). 

Family Ties 

All three of the Synoptic Gospels also record a rich young man’s unwillingness to part with his wealth to follow Jesus, setting his refusal too the disciples’ unconditional commitment to their Master (Mark 10:17–31 pars. Matt. 19:16–30; Luke 18:18–30). Simon Peter’s remark that he and his fellow disciples have left everything to follow him, Jesus responds with, “no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, whom will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–31 and pars.). 

Jesus himself set the example by repeatedly renouncing his own natural family ties, where they potentially stood in conflict with higher spiritual loyalties. Such as when Jesus was twelve, his parents were searching for Him, they were in anguished concern, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). Later, Jesus rebukes first his mother and then his brothers for failing to understand the divine timing underlying his ministry (John 2:4; 7:6–8). 

Jesus refused to be drawn back into the confines of his natural relations when his concerned family went to take charge of him, fearing that the strains of his busy ministry had caused him to lose his mind. When told that his family was waiting for him outside, he queried in a dramatic gesture, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Answering his own question, he looked around at those seated in a circle around him and issued the weighty pronouncement, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:31–35 and pars.; (Mark 3:20–21). Jesus’s mother and his family indeed acknowledged that they, too, must subordinate their familial claims to allegiance to Jesus as their Savior and Lord (Acts 1:14; Luke 1:46–47). 

 Kinship 

Context could be multiplied (Luke 11:27–28; John 19:26–27), Jesus’s teaching on discipleship are clear. Rather than preaching a gospel urging believers to make marriage and family their ultimate priority—though obviously these have a vital place in God’s purposes for humanity—Jesus placed natural kinship ties in the larger context of the kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed natural relations, such as the divine institution of marriage and the need to honor one’s father and mother (Mark 10:8–9, 19 par.), He acknowledged the higher calling of discipleship. One’s commitment to truth may or may not lead to division, not peace, in one’s natural family (Matt. 10:34), following Jesus take precedence and steps (Luke 9:57–62). 

Jesus placed people’s obligations within the larger framework of God’s kingdom. This should not be taken to imply that Christians are to neglect their family responsibilities. Paul would later write, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). Jesus’s physical presence on earth and His three-year public ministry necessitated unconditional physical following of the Master in a unique way. The spiritual principle that following Jesus' ought to be every Christian’s ultimate priority. Where it brings an individual into conflict with his or her natural family obligations, he or she must first seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). 

This past week, I had the pleasure of attending the Mayan National Conference. Eleven communities across the United States came together as a family to celebrate God. We celebrated our ancestry land and God himself. As I observed attentively over a long period of time. I observed that the conference was all over the place and that the message of God was lost to mans vision. Where as Gods vision is Higher than mans vision.

 God’s Vision for Man: Embracing Purpose and Dreams

In the Bible, we find inspiring stories of individuals who embraced God’s vision for their lives. One such example is Joseph, whose journey illustrates essential principles for realizing God’s vision:

Embrace the Courage to Dream: Joseph dared to dream big, despite his youth and adversity. We, too, should unearth our God-inspired visions, moving beyond common inhibitors like age or past failures.

Clarify Your Vision: Joseph not only dreamed but also articulated his vision. Similarly, we must define, date, detail, and deadline our dreams. Set tangible goals, pray, and create actionable plans.

Communicate Your Dream: Joseph shared his vision, opening doors to support and encouragement. When we share our dreams, we invite accountability and build a network of allies.

Defend Your Vision: Joseph’s resilience in the face of trials teaches us to protect our dreams. Steadfast faith, integrity, and forgiveness are essential as we navigate challenges.

Remember Jeremiah 29:11, which assures us of God’s benevolent plans. No matter our age or stage of life, God has a vision for each of us. So, let’s embrace His vision, share it courageously, and live out our purpose!

I pray and hope that the world focuses on Gods plan versus mans.

Father God, we know there is pain in this fallen world. You told us there would be. And we know the enemy of our souls wants to torment us. Remind us of your truths, Lord. Let us reflect on them. And wrap ourselves up in them when we are in pain, or we feel alone. You said in Numbers 23:19, that you are not a man that you should lie. If you said something, you will do it, if you spoke it, you will make it good. Thank you for always answering us when we call. And thank you that you said in Romans 8:27 when we don’t know what to pray that the Holy Spirit will pray for us. Thank you, God, that no matter what we go through, you will always be there. We pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen