October 8: Luke 7-11

"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 8:20-21

Was Jesus rejecting his family and teaching us to do the same? No, He was making the point that if we have to choose between our family and the will of God, God comes first.

I once met a girl in college who revealed to us during a women's retreat that her entire family were non-believers. Out of all her relatives, she was the only Christian. Her family would make fun of her going to church and other Christian activities. She faced the very hard decision of choosing God's will, or choosing her family. Even though she tried her best to persuade them and still held out hope that they would believe, she had pretty much accepted that she was going to have to walk the journey of faith alone. The hardest part, she said, was answering them when they asked "How can you believe in a religion that says we, your family, are all going to go to Hell for not believing like you do?" What a testament to her strong faith that she was able to stand firm and hold fast to the truth. She was able to choose God's will over her family.

Thankfully, many of us do not face the "either/or" choice, but we do need to pay attention to Jesus' demonstration here that God's will comes FIRST, then family. Most of us would like to say we prioritize our lives in this way:

1. God
2. Family
3. Education
4. Work
5. Fantasy Football League (pick your pleasure)

But, to REALLY put God above family is hard. Our family "demands" are often what keep us from spending time in the Word, in prayer, or in quiet time with God. We may compromise on some of our beliefs to keep the peace in the household. We may even make the excuse that we don't go to church because Sunday is "family day". Jesus is our ultimate example, though, and we should strive to put God first...always.