Always Seek God!

Jesus Christ told believers who their family was, it is not necessarily those we were born to and share DNA with, although sometimes they can be.

 

Many people who are born again do not have the love or encouragement of their bio families. They are rejected by those that the culture would call brother and sister, mother and father.

 

Christ made it clear to us that our family are those people who love and obey Christ. When we find ourselves wanting to walk the narrow road, continually buffeted by blood relation, then we must understand that those who share our blood are only our family if they have trusted and walk with Christ.

Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

God never intended to remain in continual conflict with blood relatives indefinitely. We are to share the Gospel with them and move on if they reject Christ.

Our culture does not understand that Christ and brothers and sisters in Christ will always be first. We have been taught most of our lives that "family is always first", meaning blood relation, those we were born to and have lived with. But God says something very different.

2 Corinthians 16:4 "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"

Matthew 8:21-22 " 21Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." 22But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead."

In the case of the disciple who asked to first go bury his father, we see from the original language that the man's father was not dead. He actually wanted to care for his father until he died, before following Christ. Christ told him that his father was dead in trespasses and sins and so was the rest of his family, he should let the unsaved take care of the unsaved.

 

There are many life applications concerning this principle, perhaps it would be good to pray always before making a decision to move forward in our giving. The Lord may tell us to help an unsaved person, but He may also tell us "not this time", we are to always help believers in need, no question about that.

Often unbelievers are in trouble because their rebellion against God has brought them to a hard place, probably the best place for them to be, since it is hardship and consequences that teach unbelievers their need for the Savior.

 

I know this concept will not be accepted by many, mainly because so many Christians are looking for people to help to feel good about themselves, when they may be removing the difficulty that could lead to repentance. Our love should be bigger than just bailing someone out of trouble, it needs to be so deeply rooted in the principles of Christ, that hardship is not the focus, but rather the potential outcome that could cause a turning to Christ.

If God lays it upon your heart to feed and cloth the poor, wonderful, but give them the gospel with it and do not remove their struggle, show kindness and love while giving them the hope of Christ. If they become born again, then we can help as their brother and sister in the Lord while Christ goes through with them. If they are cold, give them proper clothing but do not build houses for them.

It is compassion that compels us to help others and we should want that, but often we give too much, supplying things they don't need, while enabling them to waste what they do have. Love is more than making someone feel better, it is helping to equip someone with the skills that will help them for a lifetime and eternity.

If we love people then we think about their eternity much more than we think about their momentary comfort or what others may think of us. Bottom line? Ask God before we act and do what He tells us to do. 

 

Once I offered to do something for someone, I did not pray about it, the Lord for several hours tormented me relentlessly until I saw that He never told me to do it. I called the person back and shared that the Lord was not giving me peace, this person ranted and raged at me for several minutes before hanging up on me. The peace flooded back into my soul, because God had told me what to do to come back into obedience. Realizing the raging and ranting of this person helped me to see that they were not yet broken over their sin and I was about to bail them out of the trouble they placed themselves in, while remaining rebellious.

All questions and stress were removed, I walked around for a couple of days praising God that He saved me from something I was about to bring on myself because I didn't pray first. After all was finished I realized what misery I would have brought on myself and my husband while enduring continual contempt and ungratefulness from a completely rebellious spirit.

I know what it is to hear God, when He is compelling me to do something and when He is compelling me not to do something. Praise His name! He is not a hard task master that will withhold when we ask, on the contrary, if we want to know He will tell us.

James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."