Good Morning Friends,
“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see
him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told
him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ He
replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into
practice.’” (Luke 8:19-21)
Here’s an interesting and compelling question
that comes out of Jesus’ statement about His mother and brothers: Are you
related to Jesus?
Those who are truly related to Jesus are not
related by blood. No one enters into a relationship with God based upon his or
her blood lines and ancestry. The Jews thought that was true. They claimed a
special relationship with God because they were descendants of Abraham. It was
their ancestry that determined what God thought of them. But they were wrong –
it was Abraham’s faith that connected him to God and only those who shared
Abraham’s faith shared his relationship with God. It was faith that made the difference.
Jesus says that those who are His mother and
brothers are not those with whom He shares a blood relationship, but those who
hear God’s word and put it into practice. Those who follow Jesus are related to
Him – not those who are related by birth. That was true for Mary, Jesus’
mother, and it was true for James, Joseph, Simon and Jude, Jesus’ brothers. But
it wasn’t just true for them – it’s true for us, too. Our relationship with
Jesus is not determined by who our parents are or what they believed, but by
our faith – our trusting in Jesus, our listening to His word, our following
what He teaches.
Are you related to Jesus?
You’ll know by checking what you trust – are
you trusting Jesus? You’ll know by checking what you listen to – are you listening
to Jesus? You’ll know by what you do – are you following the teachings of
Jesus?
His, by Grace, Steve
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