Faith Separates

For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” 

(Matthew 12:50, NKJV)

It is the desire of most of us to belong to a community.  God created us as part of each other, to help one another and to be helped by others.  Proverbs on the strength of oneness are to be found in different communities, reminding us that no man/woman is an island.  We all need one another and yes, we do well together in unity.  Conversely, there is a place for separation, where we are expected to pursue a personal journey.  Take the example of a dream, even when sleeping in the same bed with others, each person has their own dream which is personal to them.  Others will have no idea of what the dream was, unless they are told what it was about and the perceived interpretation.  There are parts of our lives that require us to step aside and consider our individualized journey, for each of us has a personal purpose in God.

 Our reference verse is one that refers to serious separation in life.  When we grow up in a family, we do not see how our lives could be different from our siblings and family.  Yet, the holding on to the collective so that we ignore our individual journey would lead us to miss our mark and purpose in life.  Beloved, our spiritual journeys are personal as revealed to each of us by the Holy Spirit.  The conviction to pursue a certain spiritual path is given to the bearer of the vision and others, regardless of how close they are, might not understand the direction that one takes.  This is where destiny and purpose for an individual comes in and so the need to pursue the same on a personal basis.  If you keep hanging on for the approval of others, even your own family members, you will be disappointed as they do not necessary support what God has put in you.  In line with the verse, we read of Joseph and his brothers.  God kept giving Joseph prophetic dreams of his life, dreams which were not acceptable to his brothers and eventually they led to his being sold to slavery.  The brothers wanted to do away with Joseph the dreamer, but what they did not know, in selling Joseph to Midianite merchants, God was going to use the chance for the saving of many souls (Genesis 37).  As Joseph was going through the pain of his life, he could have considered his brothers as enemies but in the end, God revealed to him that what happened was for a greater purpose of saving lives.  The journey that Joseph had to take, was to be done alone not with his family.

 Jesus Himself said that His mother and brothers are those who do the will of His Father (Mark 3:33-35).  There is a spiritual family of believers who are united by our faith in Jesus Christ, the family is not by blood but by faith and the love of God.  This could sound harsh but it calls for a conviction born by the Holy Spirit of God on our identity in Christ and our eternal purpose.  The family of God is born of His Spirit and our behaviour and character is set to fit into the new family.  Jesus at the age of 12 years when asked by His mother where He had been as they searched for Him, told her that He had to be in His Father’s house (Luke 2:49).  He was clear which family took precedence in His life.  This is not to say that we disinherit our natural/human families, we will honour them while having clarity of our loyalty is to the family of God.

Beloved, we are called to stand true to our calling, not to hate those who do not understand where we are going to but to remain steadfast in our path.  We are not to compromise on our conviction once God has shown us His path for our lives, for compromise weakens the heart leaving us with a sense of guilt and fear.  The more you follow God’s direction for you, the clearer the path becomes for yourself and for others who are watching you.  Our confidence in God is all what will carry us through our chosen path with or without others. 

 Thoughts:

What are your thoughts about this blog?

How have you been separated?

To which family is your allegiance?