Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 

Family -Celebration of relationships 

Bible Reading:  St.Mark 3:31-35

Key verse  35

3:35 “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and my mother.”
 
DEVOTION

 CELEBRATING A GIFT OF RELATIONSHIP: Relationships are among God’s greatest gifts. They give us love, encouragement, belonging, and opportunities to grow in faith. In Mark 3: 31-35, Jesus makes a remarkable statement about family, when told that His mother and brothers were looking for Him ,He declared that whoever does the will of God is His brother, sister, and mother.
Jesus was not rejecting His biological family. Rather, He was expanding our understanding of family. Our relationships are not limited to those connected to us by blood; they also include those who share our faith, serve alongside us, and demonstrate God’s love through their actions.
We live in a world that often measures connection by proximity, blood or social networks. Yet deep down, we all long for a space where we are truly known, chosen,and valued. In this passage Jesus opens the door to the ultimate circle of belonging.He looks at a room full of ordinary people and calls them family. This is the profound celebration of relationship. 
The Bible gives us beautiful examples of relationships worth celebrating. Ruth reminded faithful to Naomi, declaring “where you go I will go”. David and Jonathan shared a friendship marked by loyalty and covenant love. These relationships remind us that genuine love is expressed through faithfulness, encouragement, sacrifice, and support. Celebrating relationships means celebrating not only who is related to us, but also how we love one another. When we do God’s will through love, we make the presence of Christ visible in our homes, churches and communities. When we step into God’s will, we aren’t just adopting a set of rules; we are adopting a household. We gain an older brother in Jesus, a loving Father in God, and global network of spiritual brothers and sisters.
Doing the will of God is our highest calling and our greatest reward is relationship with Jesus. Mark 3 reminds us that our identity is securely anchored in the family of God. We are known, we are chosen and we are called family by the Savior Himself. May we live out our days honoring that relationship, drawing closer to Him and one another in perfect eternal community?

PRAYER

Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of relationship. Thank you for our families, friends, church communities, and the people you bring in our lives. Teach us to love beyond our familiar circles, to forgive where there is hurt and to stand beside those who are lonely or struggling. May our relationships reflect Your grace and strength our commitment to doing Your will. AMEN. 

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Welcoming the word of Jesus makes us brothers and sisters, makes us Jesus’ Family. We draw closest to Jesus not by claiming His name, but by doing His will.


 Mariam John 
Epiphany Mar Thoma Church. New York.

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more