In God's Family There Is Love

A Family Is...

A Family is a Place

To cry

To laugh

To vent frustration

To ask for help
And tease

And yell

To be kissed and hugged and smiled at.

A Family is People

Who care when you are sad

Who love you no matter what

Who share your triumphs
Who don't expect you to be perfect
Just grow with honesty

In your own direction.

A Family is a Circle

Where we learn to like ourselves

Where we learn to make good decisions

Where we learn to think before we do

Where we learn integrity and respect for others

Where we are special

Where we share ideas

Where we listen and are listened to

Where we learn the rules of life

To prepare ourselves for the world.

The world is a Place

Where anything can happen.

If we grow in a Loving Family

We are ready for the world.

~ Author Unknown

    

    

In God's Family There Is Love

    

     I came across the little poem above, one day as I was surfing the internet.  And I realized that the author's words, which seemed to come from a young heart, reflected real insight.  I wish I knew who wrote it because it conveys so much of what I believe a godly family should be.  When I say this, I am not only referring to individual families, but to our church and neighborhood families, as well.  It would do us great good to consider the author's words in describing what a family should be.

     When you think about it, there are all different kinds of families. There are biological families, blended families, adoptive families, extended families, school and work families, organizational families, team families, community families, and more. Each of us belongs to a family, whether it be small or large. Most of us are part of more than one family. But the most wonderful thing is that we are ALL part of God's Family!

     It is in God's Family that we have refuge and find strength to face the day-to-day challenges life brings. In God's Family we are accepted, loved and cared for as His children. Each and every one of us is unique and special to our Heavenly Father. In His Family we find shelter, comfort, guidance, strength, and peace, as we learn to receive God's love and to love Him and others in return.

     In God's Family, there are children with many colored faces, differing characteristics, and from all walks of life. We are all different because He created us that way. He delights in our differences and loves each one of us with a love that is everlasting and unconditional. It is here in God's Family that we discover what a loving Father our Creator really is and that we learn and grow in grace and wisdom, as we receive and share His love.

     In today's world, we are faced with so many challenges and external forces which threaten to destroy our families.  Being a survivor of divorce, myself, I can certainly identify with these challenges.  At a time when there is so much talk concerning "family values" and what an "ideal family" should be, it is important that we remember who we are as God's children and that we strive to uphold the loving values taught in His Word. By "His Word", I am referring not only in His written word, the Bible, but to the true Word of God- Jesus Christ His Son. He is the Living Word of God to us and the ultimate example of God's love for humankind.

     Always remember... in God's Family there is Love, first and foremost. True "family values" are those taught in the book of I Corinthians, chapter 13, in the Ten Commandments, and in the words of Jesus found in Matthew 22:36-40*. Individual families are as different and unique as the members who belong to them. And an "ideal family" is one where God is honored and where love abounds!

May God Bless You Abundantly!

Love in Christ,

Sister Angela Dobbins

Founder, True Life Family Ministries

God's Litmus Test

God's Litmus Test

by Angela Hall Dobbins

A “litmus test”, as defined by Webster’s
Dictionary, is “a test in which a single factor
(as an attitude, event, or fact) is decisive.”

At the suggestion of a friend of mine, who is a pastor, I recently read the testimony of young Christian music artist, Matthew West. I was both impressed and inspired, not only because Matthew’s story says so much about trusting God, even when we can't see what He's doing, but because I can personally relate to much of the emotional message it conveys. Matthew’s music career was just taking off when he was suddenly faced with the possibility of never being able to sing again due to a vascular polyp and hemorrhaged blood vessels on one of his vocal chords. Through this painful “season of silence,” as he calls it, Matthew learned that God was still using his voice, even when he was unable to hear it.

Sometimes God begins preparing us for something great to happen in our lives- perhaps it's to fulfill a vision He has placed in our hearts. But, to our shock and dismay, just as things seem to be getting off the ground and we begin to see Him working in and around us, something happens that suddenly seems to bring everything to a screeching halt. We find ourselves struggling to make sense of what has happened and we wonder, "What went wrong?" We may even ask God, "Where did I fail you, Lord?", thinking God is chastising us as a result of some sin in our lives.

And while God does chasten those He loves, those dark, silent days don’t always come as the result of wrongdoing on our part. Sometimes painful events just happen. But God may allow them to happen because He has a way of using those dark, silent, even painful days to draw us closer to Him and to teach us more about His deep, endearing love for us. During those times, He is administering valuable lessons and further preparing us for the next segment of our journey through life. Through our pain, He tenderly ministers His love to us, that we might, in turn, minister it to others.

This has been the case in my own life and, perhaps, it has been so in yours, as well. It was during my own “season of silence”, after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and while recovering from divorce, that God opened my heart and mind to understand so much more about His unconditional love for you and me. If we are "judgment day honest", as my pastor friend often challenges those to whom he ministers to be, then we must pass one test before we can truly know where we will spend eternity. We might call it "God's litmus test". In order to pass the test, we must ask ourselves, "Do I have the love of God in my heart?" The true test of whether or not we are ready to meet our Creator lies in our answer to this single question. Jesus summed it up like this in Matthew 22:36-40:

When asked this question by one of the Pharisees, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NIV

And in John 13:34-35, Jesus said:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV

Do we really "walk the walk" of a Jesus follower? Do our words and actions speak kindness to others? Or do they echo criticism and condemnation? Do we give of our time and resources to help those in need? Or do we live for selfish gain? Do our actions toward others demonstrate genuine concern and empathy? Or do they reflect prejudice and indifference? Do we genuinely love our neighbor? Or do we love only those who fit our narrow concept of what a neighbor should be?

Friends, if we truly want to be ready to stand before our Lord on judgment day, then we need to be on our knees asking God to fill us to overflowing with His love. Putting behind us old traditions and going through the motions, we must, every day, immerse ourselves in His Word and seek to be like Jesus in our own words and deeds. I firmly believe this earthly life is preparation for the life we will lead hereafter. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible contains God's message of His everlasting love for humankind. And Jesus Christ is the epitome of God's love- the fulfillment of Biblical Law. God's "litmus test" for determining our eternal destiny is spelled out in just four letters...

L… O… V… E

Do you have it?


Scripture References:

John 13:34-35

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV

Romans 13:8-9

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." NIV

1 John 3:14-17

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" NIV

1 John 4:7-8

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." NIV

For more Christian articles and resources, please feel free to visit True Life Family Ministries- Empowering Individuals, Families & Communities with a message of Love, Grace & Hope!  At TLFM, You're One of the Family!

May God bless you abundantly and guide you to becoming all He ceated you to be!

Love in Christ,

Angela Dobbins, Founder
True Life Famly Ministries
True Life Strategies- Life Coaching