Forever Family

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named...

Ephesians 3:14-15 NKJV

We talk about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We talk about being the Body of Christ. We talk about having our Christian brothers and sisters... But do we fully understand that we are family? A family defined by God and not man? 

His love is forever. His grace is, too. His mercies are new every morning. Our every provision is from Him. He made a way where there was no way for us to be forgiven for everything we've ever done or will do. There is no outside force that can keep us from receiving what is rightfully ours through Jesus Christ. 

People will pay big bucks to trace their bloodline, often in search of some sort of bragging rights. We need to meditate on the Bloodline that flows from Calvary to Heaven. And give God thanks and praise that it's ours for being a member of His eternal family - our forever family.

Psalm 103 reminds us of some of the things God the Father has bestowed on His children;

Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction,  Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Prayer:

Father, 

         Open our eyes to see You for who You are - a good, GOOD Father. Open our hearts to receive the Truth of Your character and Your Word. Forgive us for indicting You based on our earthly experience. Holy Spirit, lead us into all Truth and open our understanding so that we may fulfill our familial role with the same love and mercy that You have. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Family Resemblance *

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Ephesians 1:5-6 NLT

I'm sure we all know families that look so much alike, you could put them in a room with hundreds of people, and you would still be able to pick out who was in their gene pool. A long time ago, I used to work at an elementary school. As the registrar, I was often amazed by the younger siblings who would come to start school and they would be the spitting image of their older sibling at that age. Strong family genes.

How strong are our genes? 1st John 3:2 tells us, Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

What will we look like? Or more importantly - Who do we look like? I'm reminded of a time, several years ago - it was a gathering of friends at Gringo's with a new waiter who didn't know we'd ever been there. We straggled in, coming from all directions, and when we were finally gathered, the waiter looks at the 7 of us and says, Oh, I get it. It's a family meeting! We all smiled and said, Yup, that's it - a family meeting. Proof positive - adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. That's our common gene pool. And it's strong enough through Christ to see our Family Resemblance.

Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for adopting us into Your family and making us joint heirs with Your precious Son, Jesus. When we grow up, we want to be just like You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

D.J. Haynes - Champion of the Faith *

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT

Today, the family and friends of David James Haynes laid his earthly body to rest next to the grave of his beloved Mary, wife of 59 years, and just a few yards from the headstone defining the four short years of his granddaughter, Jenna.

Since Thursday night when D.J. died, I have heard or read countless tributes, laughed and cried at remembered stories, but mostly, I have tried to figure out how I will fill the void that is left by the death of one of the most godly men I've ever known in my life...and I know I am not the only one.

I remember spending nights at Shelia and Don's after D.J. and Miss Mary moved in with them. I would lay in the spare bedroom next to their room and listen as D.J. and Miss Mary touched heaven with their prayers for their family and loved ones. When I confided to Shelia (their daughter, my friend) how amazing that was to hear, she told me that's what she heard every night when she was growing up.

Was D.J. a perfect man? No, he wasn't, and he'd be the first to tell you that. But what he was, was a man who steadfastly followed Christ and expected you to do the same. One who never gave up when life didn't go his way. One who when faced with adversity ALWAYS chose God. A man who lived humbly before Christ and taught the generations after him to do the same. A TRUE champion of the faith.

I can take you to the exact spot in their house and tell you what he was wearing when, upon finding out that both my parents had already died, D.J. proclaimed me to be "Daughter #4" after Shelia and Letha, his daughters, and after Judy, his daughter-in-law, and told me he would pray for me as his own.

D.J. loved to talk and tell stories and somehow, the conversation would always give God glory. After any time spent with Shelia and her family, I always came away richer in my knowledge of the Lord, with more wisdom for how to walk this walk, and always - ALWAYS - feeling loved, feeling safe, and knowing I was covered.

Son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, elder, and greater friend. Strong in body and in mind and a giant in the faith. I wanted to write such a great tribute here that you would be able to grasp at least an inkling of the man that D.J. was, but as I sat here remembering, I realized I don't have to. His legacy is exquisitely written in the lives of his family. D.J. lived his life in tribute to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is Christ who will fill any void left in those of us who remain.

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for the people You lovingly bring into our lives to enrich us beyond wealth, to teach us beyond degrees, and to help us hold fast to Your promises. I pray, Father, that D.J and Mary's legacy will live and remain in all their generations until Jesus comes. May it be soon. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen