Verse for meditation:

  “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35)   God has instituted the family from the time of creation and He is the cause for all the families of heaven and earth. As we have reached the last days of this year let us thank God remembering all the benefits the Lord has given us during this year. Let us also try to strengthen our familial relationship.  

1. Christ centered family: Serve God through the whole family (Joshua 24:14-22).

  The decision of Joshua is very famous. “… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Jos. 24:15). The family that serves God will be strengthened forever. Remember the saying, “The family that prays will stay together.” If the gift of the family relationship should stay back, the family should be a ‘Christ centered family’. It is important that the family should pray together, worship together and participate in Church activities as a family, because Christ is both the chief and the head of the family.  

2. Love centered family (Ephesians 3:14-21)

  Love is the greatest factor in family relationship (1 Corinthians 13). Paul says that the head of the family is God the Father. He concludes that portion with a prayer to be deep-rooted in love and based on love, to know the length, width, depth and height of love along with all saints. He again repeats the need of love in the family (Ephesians 5:23-25). Just as Christ has loved man, husbands and wives should love. Christ loved us not by seeing good in us. We should love even when there are bad qualities in people. That is the depth of love.  

3. Know the family of the families (Mark 3:31-35).

  When we turn to be Christ Centered family, it would become love centered one. When families will live in love, our eyes will be opened from the level of ‘I and my family’ to see the ‘family of the families’. As Christ has paid himself for family relationships we could see the extension of the boundaries of the families. “Who are my brothers? Who are my sisters? Behold those who do the will of God.” There is not much place for self. The thought ‘our families’ rather than ‘my family’ is being strengthened because all families are the gifts from God.  

Prayers:

  God, the author of all families, from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name, Grant us and our families the wisdom to decide, to serve You alone, so that we would remain as members of the household of Your Son Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever more  

Amen.