God on the Go by AllMomDoes - Siblings in Jesus (Siblings)

0:00It was something she always wanted and it was something that she didn't get to have. I'm Julie Liles Carr and this has got on the go part of the Purposely Podcast Network. We've been in a series talking about siblings and it has to be said I recognize that not everyone has siblings. My mom was an only child and she truly wanted to have siblings in her life. That was something she felt like she really missed out on. But there was something also really cool in her life. She had a first cousin and her first cousin was just a couple years older and that cousin was like a sister to her. They were raised in the same town, their mothers were sisters and that was a relationship that my mom carried with her her whole life. She still always wished that she had siblings but she was so grateful for the chosen sister that she had. And yes, that cousin was a blood family member but their relationship, the way they

1:02chose to conduct that relationship, well it made them chosen sisters. Now you've heard me talk about through the course of the series that I have two baby brothers that I am wild about. I say baby brothers, they are both six foot five. They are big strong men and I like to be petite around them even though I'm not really very petite but I still think of them as my baby brothers. But I will tell you this, even with two siblings, two brothers, I always wished I had a sister. I missed that sense that I had with my other friends who had sisters and here's the beautiful thing. God has brought friendships into my life in which I feel like I do have sisters. They're chosen family, they're my chosen sisters. So even if you've been listening to this series saying, you know what, I don't have siblings or you might be thinking, well I have brothers but I don't have a sister and I always wanted a sister or well I have sisters but I don't have a brother and I always wanted a brother. Here's something that God does that is so cool. He puts us in faith communities in our churches, in our church families so that we can have

2:06chosen family. Guess how many people say that they have a chosen family member? That's someone that they consider an extra sibling, a friend that they have made even closer than just a typical friend, someone that really has become a sibling, a family member to them. 87% of people say they have a chosen family member. That's pretty incredible. And when you're part of the family of God, that is what he does for us. There's a reason that in the early church when Paul, say, was writing to the early church and he would talk about all of those church members as brothers and sisters in Christ, in Jesus, because Jesus has made us family. Those of us who follow him, we do have brothers and sisters. So even if you feel like, well, I don't really have a brother, I don't have a sister, yes, you do, because you have chosen family through Jesus. And God has a plan for that for you. Jesus talked about this, about having chosen family. There was a situation in which he was preaching. He was talking about God and teaching the people about God, but you know what?

3:08As much as his mom and his brothers and sisters, his blood family loved him, they didn't quite get it at first, what he was doing. And they went to go talk to him. He was in a house talking and telling the people all about God and all about his ministry. And people said, hey, your family is outside. And Jesus said, hey, listen, these people here, the ones listening to me, here are my mother and my brothers for whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. Was he saying this to diss his mom and his brothers who come to check on him? No, he wasn't. He was simply showing that within God's family, those people who joined together and say, we're going to follow God, we're going to do the will of God. We are going to walk together. Those people also become your family. So if you ever find yourself feeling a little lonely, if you find yourself wishing that you had a brother or a sister and you don't, maybe you're an only child. Maybe there's a situation in your family in which you don't get to be with your siblings the way you want to be.

4:09That's what that doesn't mean that you don't have brothers and sisters because when you follow Jesus, when you follow God, when you are part of his family, you do have mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, people, family around you who care about you, who want to see you do well, who are cheering you on. And you can do the same thing for them, a brother, a sister. It's not just about who's born into your family. It's also about who you choose to live life with, who you choose to walk alongside as you follow God. And that is some pretty great news. I want you to go over to GeorgeFox.edu. George Fox University is a sponsor of God on the go. They have been with us from early on and we are so thankful for them. You're going to find for your college student a really unique educational model, one that not only considers their goals for career, but also their spiritual development, who they

5:09are as a person, all the things that God has created them to be. So go over to GeorgeFox.edu and find out more. And I will see you next time at God on the go. Thanks for listening. We just wanted to take a minute to let you know that just like you and your family, purposely is also part of a family. The Christa family of ministries, Christa helps kids and teens learn and grow in their faith at King Schools and Miracle Ranch Camp. And Christa shares Jesus with people in the poorest, most remote places through world concern. Christa Senior Living is a community of love and care. And Christa Media is a place of hope on the radio. God is changing lives through these five ministries. And Christa is on mission to share the good news of Jesus. To learn more, visit Christa.org. Christa Senior Living is a community of love and care.