Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Never forsaken, never abandoned.”
Our Bible verse for today: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:5-6 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “God’s protection, provision, and presence should be experienced within the family.”
The other day I was reading in the Old Testament book of Ezra. It takes place about five hundred years before the time of Christ. The time of captivity in Babylonia was coming to an end and a contingent of Jews had been allowed to return to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the city, but they didn’t get very far. They lacked good leadership, they faced opposition, they became discouraged, and eventually they allowed themselves to be co-opted by the culture around them. Soon they even began inter-marrying with the godless peoples of the surrounding societies and consequently, there was a rapid break-down of both the biological and the church-family structures.
Enter Ezra – and he was mad. Not only were the people dishonoring God, but they were hurting themselves. The strength of the family structure – both the biological and the spiritual families, were breaking down and the people were the worse for it. So Ezra set about correcting the problem and reestablishing the integrity of the family structures.
In the introduction to the book of Ezra the editors of “The Mission of God Study Bible” write, “Family is important to God. Parents are primary caregivers; children are primary learners and future leaders. You can see a picture of eternity here: There are no orphans in God’s kingdom. That’s why Ezra speaks emphatically about family as one of the strongest images of God’s Kingdom.”
That is certainly true of biological families but it is even truer of church families. Biological families are united by blood, but that tie ends at death. Church families are united spiritually, and that bond lasts for eternity. As the Psalmist expressed in Psalm 68:5-6, God gives us families (biological and spiritual) as a gift. He intends for all of us to be part of one. God’s presence, protection, provision, and purposes are often manifested to us through our biological and spiritual families.
Being part of a close-knit biological family isn’t always possible. Way too many factors come into play including geography, personalities, conflict, death, and much more. But being part of a close-knit spiritual family is possible – and it is essential. Biological families are important, and being part of a good one can be a beautiful experience. Spiritual families can take the place of, and make up for, the lack of a biological family and from an eternal perspective, actually play an even more important role in our lives. God’s protection, provision, and presence are frequently manifested to us through the structure of the family.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 