Family Ties

Have you ever wondered about your family history?

I am sure that some of you have used Ancestry.com to test your DNA to learn about your genetic history and have plotted your family tree.

Personally, I don’t trust them to keep my DNA information secure, so I will not be sending them a sample.

I am content with knowing my spiritual family tree.  It’s all I need to know.

You see, I am so glad that I have been taken out of my family of origin which traces its roots all the way back to Adam and Eve.

I don’t want to be in that family because it doesn’t matter who is in between them and me….it’s all dysfunctional!

Why?

Sin.   That’s the long and the short of it.

Adam and Eve’s choice to ‘be like God’ has poisoned every human being born on the face of this planet.

So, it’s doesn’t matter which particular family we are born into…they are all messed up….some are more messed up than others, but we are all messed up sinners from conception.

Folks, this is why Jesus had to take on human form and eventually die on the cross.

Only a perfect Man could be an acceptable sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin.

Jesus’ resurrection was the proof that His shed blood was accepted as payment in full for all sin.

Well then, are all people saved?

No, only those who put their faith in Jesus’ shed blood are ‘born again.’

Jesus used that term to illustrate our need to be identified with His death, burial and resurrection (born again) so that we could be taken out of Adam’s family and reborn into Jesus’ family.

How does this happen?

Simply, by humble faith in Jesus.

Remember when Jesus was on the cross both guys next to Him mocked Him, but one started to regret it and realized that Jesus was indeed King of the Jews.

He asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom.

He was asking Jesus to acknowledge that He knew him just like Queen Esther had asked the King to acknowledge her when she entered without invitation.

Jesus assured him that he would be with Him that day in paradise.  He was now family.

You see, at the moment of accepting Jesus as Savior, we become members of Jesus’ family.

Our old family ties are severed, and only our family ties to Jesus matter.

Our identity is stems from Jesus.

I am not saying we should step away from our earthly family or change our names.

What I am saying is that we need to see ourselves as He sees us.

We are His brothers and sisters, all descendants of Papa.

We are saints, holy ones, set apart from sin and set apart unto Papa.

Praise the Lord for this transformation and a new family history and a glorious future too!

Blessings!

Robyn Henning