Each one of us is on a journey to our final, and eternal, destination.  As Christians, we live with the confident assurance that our eternal home is with God.  But, we’re not home yet and there is a life to be lived as we journey toward heaven.  It is my prayer that this series of devotions will help you discover not only a glimpse of heaven, but that it would prepare you to more fully live like you are home even as you continue the journey.

This is day six from the devotional journal, “Almost Heaven: Devotions For the Journey Home”.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God in the process of discovering how He would have us to live as we prepare for an eternal home.

Almost Heaven:
A Home With Family

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.“
Ephesians 3:14-15 (NIV)

What does your family name mean to you?  Are you always proud of it?  Why?  Do you feel the same about your family now as you did five years ago?  Ten years ago?  Do you think you will feel the same way twenty years from now?  Why?  Are there people that feel more like family to you than actual family does?  Why?  What would you consider to be desirable qualities to have in a family?  Would a family led by God have all of those qualities?  How will living with those qualities help you as you journey toward home?

As those who have been adopted into God’s family, He has given us a collection of brothers and sisters who share the family name “Christian”.  True family are those who look out for one another as they care for and nurture those who are in need.  With God as our Father, we are part of a family that has full access to the family benefits of His glorious riches.  As you pray, ask God to help you be the family member He desires for you to be.  Pray that you would not only value being part of God’s family, but that you would value each person that God has called into the family as your brothers and sisters.

In prayer,

Tom