Family Devotionals
Submitted by
Beverly Moore
Families come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Mine is a pretty crazy one, full of off-the-wall, offbeat people--and an awful lot of love! If you're lucky, yours may be the same--life would be boring without these people with whom we live, whom we love, whom we like (some days more than others!)--and with whom we're stuck! You don't get to choose your family--with ONE exception!
We all got to choose the family of God--and for better or for worse, we're now all stuck with each other--for ALL eternity! Now that should be motivation for all of us to get our acts together, learning to love and live with one another HERE - and that's a lifelong process, for sure. We're all different--and yet bonded together by the precious Blood of Christ. We're brothers and sisters and it's all in God's plan--that we might love, listen, learn, laugh with, and lighten one another's loads.
Ephesians 3:14-17
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
Written by Nelly Smith
I teach middle school English as a second language. For one assignment, I asked my students to write a descriptive composition about their best friends. When Roberto turned in his rough draft, I called him to my desk for a conference so that I could explain some mechanical errors, but mostly some cultural nuances. His introductory paragraph read, “Christ is my best friend. I met Christ at church. My friend introduced him to me. I met Christ in third grade. I hope Christ and me will be friends for a long time.”
I explained that while in Roberto’s native language, it’s acceptable to use Jesús or Cristo, it’s not in English. In North American English, we show the highest respect for Jesus Christ by not using his name in any way but in prayer and speaking about Him. I asked Roberto if maybe he could ask his friend how to spell his name correctly, and nodded to indicate understanding, with an “Okay, teacher.”
Roberto turned in his final copy a few days later. Nothing had changed. Again, his paper read, “Christ is my best friend. I met Christ at church. My friend introduced him to me. I met Christ in third grade. I hope Christ and me will be friends for a long time.”
I accepted Roberto’s paper with no more questions. I read his paper as a testimony that could be my own. I met Christ when I was in third grade. A friend introduced Him to me. I hope Christ and I will be best friends for a long time, too. Roberto had described his best friend and mine, too.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith. Romans 1:16
Written by Grace Ward
When I think about my family, I am often surprised by how different, yet how close we all are. I am the oldest of four siblings—nearly fifteen years older than my youngest sister. I have heard from others that we resemble each other, but our personalities, our interests, and our talents are fairly diverse. My youngest sister has started to play tennis, while my brother favors soccer, my other sister likes to run, and I am happiest just walking! There have definitely been times when I wished for my sister’s artistic talent so that I could create paintings like hers. There are definitely times when we argue, as most siblings do, but we are still united by a common bond.
To me, family should be a smaller unit of the larger Christian community, where people with different gifts, people who serve God in different ways, are united by their devotion to Him. I see this in my own family, where unique individuals help each other to serve in our own ways. I see this also in the extended family that is starting to grow from my immediate family as we grow up and get married. I also see this unity in our church community. We may fulfill different roles, but it is the combination of all of those roles that results in greater service to God.
1 Corinthians 12:4
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.”
1 Corinthians 12:12
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”
