July 30, 2008
"Family Thinking"
Dear Friend,
Family thinking requires different concepts than thinking as an individual. Five aspects of family thinking reveal some of these concepts:
- What does my Father think about this issue?
- What values does my family hold in relation to this issue?
- How do my decisions affect the well-being of my family?
- How do I express love, respect and appreciation to my family?
- In what ways can my family expect my support and in what ways does my family support me?
Thinking as an individual does not require us to answer these difficult questions. These questions serve us well when we meditate upon our relationship to God and His sense of family. The Scriptures teach us that God is our heavenly Father, Christ is our divine Brother and Christians are our brothers and sisters. If you use these five questions as a way of exploring how you are living in the family of God, what do you discover about yourself?
The apostle John felt a bit overwhelmed when he thought about himself as a member of the family of God. He expressed his awe when he wrote in 1 John 3:1,
“Consider what kind of love our heavenly Father has given to us that we become identified as the children of God! We are in fact God’s children!”
John lived a better life because he thought in a family way about his life. He considered what his heavenly Father thought about issues; he practiced his family values; he supported his Christian brothers with love. We live better lives by living thoughtfully in the family of God.
Doc
Dr. Dave Collings
Lead Pastor
Christ Church
