Family...

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." 1 Timothy 5:1-2

We often call our friends in Christ our brothers and sisters. The subject comes up in conversations or Bible studies about how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. But really think on that one for a minute. Think about sitting in church on Sunday morning...everyone in that room shares the same blood- the blood of Christ that saved us all. And that makes all of us brothers and sisters. And how do we treat those brothers and sisters? Do we rush by them every Sunday, busy with this and that, or do we stop and greet our sister, ask how she's doing. Or do we offer a word of encouragement to our brother who may be having a rough time at work.

We treat our families with a bit of reverence sometimes. I know Andy and I both have talked about how precious the time is with our family. We make a big deal about Saturday's being our family day that we all do something together. So why don't we make a bigger deal about Sunday, when we're surrounded by even more family? The love for a family, and love of a family is so huge, in most cases, it's a bond that can never be broken. You can get angry with a family member, but you don't just stop being brother and sister. The same holds true in God's family, and it's definitely something to think on. We have family reunions every once in a while, and we make such a big deal about them, it's time that we start making a bigger deal about our church family- God's family.