The Family Relationship
Luke 14:26 declares that I should walk away from my family relationship . . . or does it?
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus said that in order to follow Him I have to hate my family. This has been on my heart a lot in the last few days. Hate is a hard word to swallow, especially when it comes to family.
There have been many times when I have struggled with a teaching or lesson that pointed to a specific Scripture. I recognize that all too often what I read is related to where I am – so maybe we are not in the same place. Instead of pointing it out or trying to argue my point, I dig into the word.
I opened up my concordance and began to break down the passage that was causing me to question my need for a family relationship.
A quick word review led me to the Greek word “miseo, misos” where the last definition in my Strong’s declares we are “to love less.”
This made more sense. I could see Jesus declaring that others could not be the priority. It goes along with His teachings of always putting God first. Our family tends to have the most influence over our walk. I do need reminded that they do not have the final say in my journey.
If I want to fully focus on God’s will and God’s way then I have to get to that place where I choose not to worry about others. The concerns and the attitudes of my family should never hold me so tight that they override the will of my Father. If they hold a higher position than Him in my life then I will give them that power.
[tweetthis]#Jesus tells us to hate family but calls us to #relationship – how does that balance?[/tweetthis]
Jesus does not want me to hate my family – not in the sense that the world has defined hate. God does not call me to forget my family or to walk away from them.
God designed me for relationships and family can be the strongest relationships that I have in my life. Relationships provide the support and encouragement I need to walk boldly in the path that God has designed for my life. But when relationships begin guiding that path, I have made the relationships more important than God.
[tweetthis]Putting God first gets my heart focused for my unique journey[/tweetthis]
Put the God relationship first. God wants me to be at a place that if family were to make me choose then I would choose Him – without hesitation and without guilt. And guilt will try to make walking away impossible (I believe it can be one of the most powerful tools of the enemy for the children of God).
Loving someone and being willing to walk away may be one of the hardest things I have ever done, but it is necessary if I am going to reach the place that God desires for me. He will make sure that I am not alone. He has promised to never leave me nor FORSAKE me. Ideally, the blood relationship and the spirit relationships would be the same. The world has made the ideal a challenge.
I have two choices, because this walk is always my choice. I can choose to listen to the family around me or I can choose to turn away from their directions and wholly follow God.
Be blessed,
