by Tom Wacaster
Lanny Wolfe wrote a song twenty years ago, entitled "God's Family." The message and melody combine to make one of the more beautiful songs appearing in our hymnals today.
"We're part of the fam'ly that's been born again;
Part of the fam'ly whose love knows no end;
For Jesus has saved us, and made us His own,
Now We're part of the fam'ly that's on its way home"
A man does not enter the family of God through physical birth, but by being born of "water and the Spirit" (John 3:3-5). As members of His family, we enjoy certain blessings and privileges under the protective hand of the Almighty. We can cast all of our "anxieties upon him, because he careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). Through Him we obtain peace that "passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7). There is great rejoicing in knowing that God loves us, and we love Him in return. But the apostle John tells us that "whosoever loveth him that begat loveth him that is begotten of him" (1 John 5:1). Indeed, we should be a family "whose love knows no end." And so...
"When a brother meets sorrow we all feel his grief;
When he's passed thro' the valley we all feel relief;
Together in sunshine, together in rain,
Together in victory thro' His precious name"
Do those words not express the great brotherhood of which we are members? Indeed it does! We "weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice." And this is as it should be. How it aches the heart when brethren squabble and fight. Enmity was never intended to be a characteristic trait among God's people. Lanny Wolfe closes the song with this beautiful chorus:
"And some times we laugh together, sometimes we cry;
Sometimes we share together, heart aches and sighs;
Sometimes we dream together of how it will be
When we all get to Heaven, God's family"
We ARE a great family! As one brother has noted: "We do not always reach our full potential because we are sometimes hindered by sin, by weakness, or by poor judgment, but we are striving to be faithful brethren in Christ." God's people are the greatest people upon the face of the earth. Is it any wonder then, that we dream of how it will be when we all get to heaven? May the dream never die, and may God hasten the day when our dreams become reality!