The church is the family of God. In a reference that included the church on earth, Paul said, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Too often we fail to view one another in Christ as family, but that is a mistake. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and we must treat one another accordingly. I know it sounds strange to a lot of people, but our spiritual family should be more important to us than our biological family, unless, of course, our biological family is also a part of our spiritual family. Was this not the case with Jesus? Be sure to read Matthew 12:46-50 if you have any doubts about this.
We should all be mindful of how we should treat one another as Christians, seeing that we are the family of God on earth. My emphasis this week is going to be on “one another.” Hopefully, it will help all of us treat one another the way God expects. Let us begin with the importance of caring for one another.
1 Corinthians 12:25 (KJV)
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
Paul is teaching us to have a genuine concern for each other. The word care means, “to be anxious about” (Strong). Interestingly, it is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 6:25 when He said the following:
Matthew 6:25 (ESV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? The difference between what Jesus said and Paul what said has to do with the target of our anxiety. When we worry about life and what we are going to eat and drink, it shows a lack of faith in God to take care of us. When we worry about our brother or sister in Christ, we are demonstrating, not a lack of faith, but a sincere love for them.
Caring for someone naturally involves thinking about them. When we care for brethren, it shows that we have them on our minds, which should always be the case. Do we think about the things we love? Whether brethren are doing good or bad, we should be thinking about them. When they are suffering, we suffer with them; when things are going well for them, we rejoice with them (1 Corinthians 12:26).
When thinking about brethren leads to the discovery that they need help, we must respond accordingly. To care for someone is to help them when they need it the most, not just physically, but spiritually as well. If I know that a brother is not living the way he should, the care that I have for him will cause me to worry, and to do what I can to help him (Galatians 6:1).
Let us all care for one another to the point where we suffer and rejoice together, and help each other when we are in need.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.