Sabbath Thought – Family

Family is important.  Ideally, as God intended, family is to be a safe haven from an unsure world. It is to be a common bond and a shared history so that we have others who not only understand us, but also will stand by us through the good and not-so-good times. One of the primary things missed by mainstream Christianity, is that God’s way of life leads mankind to be part of God’s family.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote about families: "All of us are we – and everyone else is they." A family shares things like dreams, hopes, possessions, memories, smiles, frowns, and gladness. A family should be held together with love and mutual respect (1 Peter 5:5). A family is a shelter from an unpredictable and all-to-often painful world. No person is ever alone who is a member of a family (1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 2:19-22).         

God’s plan of salvation for mankind is all about becoming part of His family – a truth we see in God’s Holy Days and in His recorded Word. We find that He seeks Godly seed (Malachi 2:15) and that He wants a large family (Hebrews 2:10)! While we are still human and, in this world, He has already adopted us out of both realities (Ephesians 1:5) and in doing so has made us part of His family (1 John 3:1-2). We are His children and heirs of all that He has to give us (Romans 8:14-17). 

God established His church in part so that we can be part of His family now. We are part of a body, and part of something bigger than each of us could ever be individually. Rather than looking for reasons to be divided, we should be looking for reasons to be unified, to be part of something that will transcend this sometimes painful, but always temporary, physical life.

The Spirit of God dwelling in us (Romans 8:6-9) is what makes us Christian – it is what makes us part of the family of God! His Holy Spirit allows us to begin the process of conversion in our life. That conversion leads to gaining the necessary character to be able to make that step from humanity to the God family. The process of conversion begins with recognition of our carnality, that we are powerless to overcome it, and then choosing to repent and humble ourselves before God. This is the place that many finally came to at the end of Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:37-42). 

When we agreed to the baptism covenant we agreed to give up our carnal sense of self. Our purpose is now surrendered to God so we can be adopted into His family and so we can reflect Him (Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 3:2-3). Christ is preparing a place for us (John 14:1-3) in God’s Family – and when that fully happens we will be changed to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). We will become kings, priests (Revelation 5:10) and teachers (Isaiah 30:20-21).

As a family, we will gather in a little more than a month to observe God’s Feast of Pentecost. That day is a memorial of God establishing His Church – His family. Because of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we understand the purpose of mankind’s creation and what lies in store for us in the rest of eternity – to be a member in the family of God.

I wish you a very meaningful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

May 10, 2025