Hello, my friends!
We are on day 9 of our Gleaning From the Heart of Jesus. If you aren’t joining us for our nine week study, I invite you to join in the fun. God has so much He wants to show us, as we look at Matthew 4-7.
The Scriptures – Matthew 4:21-22 (Not shown – Luke 5:11)
“A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. (Mt. 4:21-22, NLT)“
They left all they once knew behind.
Jesus called them, and they left everything else behind.
It didn’t matter that they were in a boat with their dad, or were busy working in the mundane.
Jesus called them, and they were ready to leave it all behind – to follow Jesus!
When Jesus invites us to follow Him, empty hands is a pleasure and allows us to have our hands full of Him. (Click-to-Tweet)
In an instant, every aspect of their lives were challenged and changed. Jesus is still calling bands of family members to follow Him together. There is something unique and precious about Jesus inviting families to bond. When we follow Jesus together, as a family, we can offer one another accountability and support we might lack otherwise.
Jesus’ calling began with families, but He doesn’t stop there.
In Psalms, we are reminded of God’s heart for the lonely. He sets the lonely in families (Ps. 68:6). He promises to lead us and love us. As Jesus reaches out, this is exactly what He has done (and continues to do). Jesus is loving us, as He invites us to follow Him.
“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land (Ps. 68:4-6).”
Through Jesus Christ, we are given hope and community. They will help encourage and offer helping hands. (Click-to-Tweet)
The goodness He offers with open hands, we get to experience first hand all He has to offer. We aren’t on the outside looking in, but are in the very front row opening our hands and hearts to grasp whatever He offers (and He has plenty that He wants to give to us – as He calls us “children of God”).
Lord Jesus, there is something special about families following You together! Lead our families straight to You. Thank you for calling me to be Your own – and – part of Your cherished community. Help us to remember what You have given us.
Gracefully Overcoming 
One response to “Bands of Families {{Week 2}}”
There is definitely something purposeful and amazing about Jesus inviting families to follow Him. We try to be very intentional about doing all of life together as a family, because we believe it is so important to God’s plan of making and growing disciples.