“Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:47-50
The Lord continued with showing me things about relationships especially family. Putting on my mind this verse and then asking me, “tell me which of the men of God in the bible spent a lot of time with his family, mother, Father, brothers and sisters?”
The short is very few to none. The only one I could think of was Abraham with Isaac and Isaac with Jacob and Esau. But when you read of the relationship these men had with God, it is rarely spoken about their relationship with their father, Mother and siblings. In most cases they were separated from them, like Joseph or King David or the prophet Samuel. Very seldom did these men spend time with the family talking about life.
And it was the same with Yashua, once he left home and started his ministry he seldom to almost never talked about his Mother and brothers. He did however spend a lot of time with his Father in heaven.
Many people talk about how much dysfunction is in the family. And how holidays become a nightmare. We recently had an airbnb client who booked the home for a week, and were thinking to extend it. But instead they left early because of issues with family.
I get criticized often, most of it from my wife. For not having a better relationship with my sister and brother and no relationship with my older daughters. It is easy to look from the outside and find fault, although I argue with her about her fault she finds in me regarding it. But that is for nothing, because the fact remains I choose to obey God and move here to Baja, knowing it would mean not seeing the family much and pretty much ending the relationships. And mostly it did.
It is not that I hate them and want nothing to do with them. But I also have seen how the Lord has changed me through the separation from them into the man I am in him. And deep down I know if I had chosen to remain in Iowa and Minnesota because of choosing those relationships over the command of God to move, that I would not be this man of God I have become.
It is the same with all the men God uses, they all leave from family and friends and are changed into what God wants so he can use them. Abraham left his parents, Isaacs story is after Abraham died, and so was Jacobs. Then we follow Joseph who at a young age was sold to Egypt. All the prophets we never hear of any parent apart of them, and even the opposite where with the prophet Jeremiah his dad left him because he obeyed the Father and confronted the Jewish leaders.
Moses spent 40 years in the desert and this after his mom left him in a basket in the river.
Yashua spoke of his mom only a few times and really none of it was speaking great of her. Like the verse above. And at the wedding when he said to her “woman, what is it to you? My time has not yet come”
All the disciples left their family, their wives. Peter told Yashua, we have left all to follow you, to which Yashua said yes and your reward is heaven.
Now I am not saying we should all leave our families and or ignore them. I still see my dad a few times a week, although really small talk. I spend the greater amount of my time with my wife and kids, loving every minute of it. But I also know at this time in my life, that is my calling. To raise them correctly, not like we do in the world these days, and how I did with my older daughters. It is a long story and hard to understand, but I know a big part of the blessings financially were from this moment where we could spend a lot of time doing what we are doing with our kids. But |I also know there will be a day when they have to be on their own and probably only a short time with me when that happens because of age differences. And that is OK, my job is to raise them correctly where they do not need me when I am gone. So they also spend the greater amount of their time alone with God hearing him and then obeying what he shows them to do.
The point is not that you should down your family, the point is most of us let family get in the way of their relationship with God and the family demands their attention instead of giving it to God and his righteousness. I watch so much dysfunction in families and it keeps the people in there dysfunction with them instead of seeking the truth which sets you free. But that truth in Yashua must trump anything or anyone else. You cannot serve two masters.
I get ridiculed often for my choices to serve a God who is invisible and does not speak to us randomly. But one I have learned to hear through “seeking him with my whole heart.” And he shows you things like this post which puts him above the family and even separates you from your family often. And because it goes against what most people think is the way it should be, many times putting family first and above all. Or their careers, friendships… Anything except God first.
MY move there to Baja because Yashua said one word to me. “Move.” And he said it with strength and as the one in charge of my life. I could have ignored him and said no and made up excuses about my family and friends. And actually I did use those excuses. But the Lord was persistent and always said the same thing, “MOVE.”
I did, separating myself from everything, coming and a pauper, poor financially and spiritually. Thinking I would remain poor and alone the rest of my life. But I was so in love with the God I came to know that there was no other way for me. I accepted it. I choose him over everything and everyone, knowing the consequences of the move with relationships.
I cannot help but think these same men in the bible went through the same thing. Imagine Joseph in a jail in Egypt, or King David hiding in caves for 8 years.
I also get ridiculed about telling what Yashua shows me about sin, verses what the religious people teach which is grace and you will still sin. But the simple truth is none of them has left family and or home to follow this little voice in their head which tells them what to do and makes no sense. None even hear this little voice because they do not seek to find. They instead seek to find likeminded people to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. It is always easy to find excuses for your sin, and find people to help attach a man who truly follows the Lord and knows him. It always has been because the majority follow the crowd instead of following Yashua. If it was not like that then they would not have killed the savior nor any of the prophets, but instead would have repented and followed him as I do.
One last point, I know a few people who hear God speak. And have a relationship with him. Very few however. And out of those people not one knows him like I do, not because I am special, but because he is Special and I denied myself to follow him when the message came to do so even though it made no sense. Most people never hear that message because they do not want to. People do not want to hear anything that affects how they want to live. And the problem with this is the “way” God expects you to live is not how you are currently living. I have come to know very clear from knowing God, we all must change the way we think which then changes the way we live. And most of the things God shows me and you if you will listen and seek. Are hard decision things like I faced in moving here to Baja and leaving it all behind.
