Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

26 February 2025

Reading From Mark 5:21-43

“While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

—Mark 5:35-36

     Fear is a natural response to frightening or troubling circumstances.  The supernatural antidotes to fear are faith and love.  God loves His children and doesn’t want us to live in fear.  Fear has the potential of controlling our lives and limiting our potential.  Our Heavenly Father sees so much potential in each one of us and He doesn’t want that potential to be wasted.  So Jesus calls us to “just believe.” 

     I know that “just believe” seems so simple and it is, but it doesn’t necessarily make it easy.  Faith is a choice.  We have to choose to believe in God who is unseen.  Many people have had visions of the Savior in our modern era.  Moses saw a glimpse of God in ancient times, but no one has seen the full glory of God this side of Heaven and so we must have a healthy, life-giving relationship with Him based on faith.  Our prayer is that our faith increases and grows stronger so that as we believe, we will see God’s will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven and the Kingdom of God will expand.

     As we make the decision to believe in Christ and His Word the Bible, we experience love like we never have before.  God surrounds and fills us with His love and according to I John, He is Love.  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”[1]  From this passage we learn that as we love one another, it is an evidence that we have been born again and have relationship with Him.  He brings new life to us and as we love others, the Love of God is manifested on the Earth. 

     What tremendous power we have been given as His sons and daughters!  Loving Him, loving others and loving ourselves is functioning in His authority as royal priests and priestesses with Him as our Great High Priest.  May we be filled with His love as we minister to others in our communities, regions, among those who are not like us, and around the world.  In this way we obey the Great Commandment and fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus and we see Zion built and expanded in the here and now. Love brings together the eternal family of God.

“Heavenly Father, I pray that You would fill me and my brothers and sisters with Your love.  Fill us up to overflowing!  May we share Your love and message of reconciliation with those around us.  Help us when people are rude to us, when they persecute us, when they despitefully use us.  It is so hard to treat people with love when they are so annoying or hateful to us.  Give us the power of Your Holy Spirit to overcome hate with love.  We love You Lord Jesus and we thank You for Your love.  Remove all fear from our hearts and minds.  Make us brave and bold as we serve You.  In Your Name I pray, Amen.”

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

—I John 4:18

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

—Romans 8:35-39

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

–Romans 12:21

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[1] I John 4:7-9