Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

1 May 2024

Reading From Psalm 133

“How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!”

–Psalm 133:1

     The passage we looked at yesterday from I Chronicles spoke of how the people of God were all of “one mind” in making David king over all Israel with the tribes coming together under his leadership.  Early in the history of the Church, we found that the believers gathered together in “one accord” for the common purpose of calling on the Name of the Lord in prayer.  Now today we have this reminder of the value of unity from Psalm 133.

     “Fightings and fears within and without”[1] seems to describe the divisive condition of the various churches, associations, denominations and ministries today.  But if we see the eternal family of God as it truly is, the universal Church made of up of every single born-again follower of Jesus, then we see greater unity.  When a person comes to Christ for salvation, that miracle happens by grace through faith in Jesus, His death and resurrection.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. 

     In this way, as we repent of our sins and turn to God, we find common, sacred ground in front of the empty tomb illuminated by the brilliant glory of the resurrection.  When we are born again, the Holy Spirit of the Living God takes up residence in the very core of our being.  The Spirit connects us with one another and with the Father Himself through the atonement of the Son.  He seals us together as the eternal family of God, the Bride of Christ becoming one Body. 

     This marvelous unity is symbolized by the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in glory following the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  In the New Heaven and the New Earth we will reign with Christ as a nation of kings and queens, priests and priestesses for all eternity.  We will partake of the divine nature of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  What a glorious destiny awaits the eternal family of God and we are all part of that wonderful community as brothers and sisters in Jesus. 

“Lord, thank You for revealing more and more about our identity, community and destiny in You through the truth of Your Word by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  I pray that these revelations would change the way that Your children live their lives upon the Earth.  Make us wise stewards of Your blessings and faithful ministers of Your love and message.  Bind us together in love, peace, harmony and unity.  In the strong and mighty Name of Jesus Christ I pray.  Amen.”

However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. –Acts 7:48

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. –Ephesians 2:19-22

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. –II Peter 1:3-9

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” –Revelation 19:6-9

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. –II Corinthians 11:2

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansingher by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

–Ephesians 5:21-28

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. –Ephesians 4:1-6

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[1] II Corinthians 7:5 and echoed in the hymn, “Just as I Am” by Charlotte Elliott