Family is a dynamic found in every culture.  It is even found in some animal societies.  Family provides support and nourishment for every aspect of human development.  The definition of individual families can vary greatly and the effect of those families are as different as the people within those families.  In general, the sense of belonging fostered through our place in our family creates a loyalty to that family and a desire to protect and support that family.

God created the family as the social agent in which His man would reproduce and prosper.  This construct was instituted for practical reasons like protection and training of children, but also for spiritual awareness.  Understanding the idea of family and the hierarchy framework within it, we can better grasp the desires of our Heavenly Father.  He created the social family unit to reflect His desire for His family, of which we are members.  Believers belong to god’s family unit, only with a stronger, more forceful spiritual connection than the familial blood-line connection of our human family.

We should look around at our spiritual siblings.  God has given us these people, these other believers for much the same reason as our human siblings, to support, encourage and share in the benefits of belonging to the family.  We also have an extended human family including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  We can associate these relationships with the elders in our Kingdom family as well as our brothers and sisters around the world.  Our spiritual family also includes those who have already moved to Heaven.  Each believer has a tremendous family for which each of us should thank God, our Father, continually.  Our Big Brother, Jesus, left us His Word as a constant reminder of how to be the best family member we can be and how to bring in other new members.  God’s heart is for an ever-increasing family and the mandate for every current member is to invite and add more members.  The Holy Spirit resides in each of us to orchestrate, organize and lead each member into their role as a family-increase agent.  We need only to yield, listen and obey His instructions.

Let’s determine as individual family members to use every avenue, every method of communication and every aspect of influence we have to reach every person we can.  Time is running out on our opportunity to work in this grace dispensation, and we want to secure as many family members as possible to enjoy our place as God’s family members for eternity, praising and exalting our Heavenly Father around His throne in Heaven.