Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

23 February 2025

Reading From Mark 4:1-20

“The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

—Mark 4:14-20

     The Word of God is a spiritual seed that is planted in our hearts by the Lord, but only if we hear it, believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior.  This genuine faith invites the Holy Spirit to cause us to be born again and we begin a journey of spiritual growth that will last a lifetime and into eternity.  In the Garden of Eden there was planted the Tree of Life.  Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from it as they remained in fellowship with God, but by their disobedience sin entered the world and spiritual death through sin.  In His great wisdom and compassion, God sent cherubim with flaming swords to guard the Tree of Life.  Had Adam and Eve eaten of it in their fallen condition, they would have lived forever in their sin. 

     Through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, He has made a way for us to be cleansed of our sin and reconciled with the Father.  When the Holy Spirit makes us His temple, it is though He plants a seed from the Tree of Life and as we grow with Him, that seed grows and matures.  The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthains 3:6-9, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”  The Lord communicates to us in ways that we can understand in the context of whatever earthly culture we find ourselves in.  During the earthly ministry of Jesus, many of His parables had to do with agriculture because in their agrarian society it was a way of life most people either lived themselves or were familiar with.

     In John 15:5-8, the Lord Jesus taught us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”  When we are born again, we die to our old selves.  We are cut off from wild, sinful vine of Adam and Eve and we are grafted into the true and living Vine, Jesus Himself.  Paul wrote in Romans 11:17-18, “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”    

     As we are spiritually connected to Him, He becomes our source of life, light and truth and He produces good spiritual fruit through us.[1]  Our right standing (justification) and position with Him as adopted sons and daughters of the Most High God is determined by grace through faith in Jesus, but as we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, His love inspires us and He performs good deeds through us.  Ephesians 2:8-10 reveals, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

     Paul wrote to the Galatian churches, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”[2]  We live by the Spirit.  In Him we live and move and have our being.[3]

     One day in the New Heaven we will gather together as His eternal family, grafted into the True Vine and we will all feast from the Tree of Life.  We see a beautiful vision of this in Revelation 22:1-5.  The Apostle John recorded, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” 

     The world will be cleansed with the fire of God in the Last Days.  His fire will consume all wickedness and the corrosive effects of sin will burn away.  His fire will also purify the globe and He will renew and restore Creation to its paradisiacal glory.[4]  In the New Heaven and the New Earth we will dwell in peace as the eternal family of God.  We will enjoy perfect harmony and unity with God and have exciting adventures into eternity.  However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

“Lord Jesus, thank You that You did not leave us as orphans, but that You sent Your Holy Spirit to not only be with us but to dwell within us and make us part of Your eternal family.  We will be together with You forever and the thought of that home with You fills us with such great joy!  I pray that we would continue to grow in our knowledge of You and Your Word and that we would trust You more each day.  Increase our faith and make us stronger.  Empower us with Your Holy Spirit to bring glory to Your great Name.  We praise You and worship You.  In the Name of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ I pray these things.  Amen.”

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

—Revelation 22:12-14

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[1] Matthew 3:8

[2] Galatians 5:19-25

[3] Acts 17:28

[4] Psalm 104:5, Malachi 3:3-4, 4:1-2, II Peter 3:10-13