Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

25 December 2024

Reading From I John 1-5

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” —I John 1:1-4

The purpose of the Church can be distilled into love God, love others and love ourselves as Christ does. From the Great Commandment flow five objectives of worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and ministry. Fellowship is a key element of the Lord’s work that is sometimes downplayed, but it is vital to our understanding of what God wants for us. The goal of evangelism, sharing the love and message of Jesus with others, is to have them brought into fellowship, righteous and healthy life-giving relationship, with God and His eternal family.

We are reconciled to God the Father by grace through faith and trust in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. Once that spiritual connection has been made with God, we strengthen our bond with Him and with His eternal family by spending time with one another. We can do this through spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, meditation, reading and studying God’s Word, fasting, generosity, silence, simplicity, celebration, and confession. This list is not exhaustive, but these are all wonderful ways to deepen fellowship and allow the Holy Spirit to nourish us spiritually.

“Lord Jesus, I pray that we would prioritize spiritual health and wellness. Help us to strengthen our bond with You and our eternal family. Thank You that You desire to spend time with us. Open our eyes to how important that is. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachingand to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. —Acts 2:42-47