Daily Devotional

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like growing up in the same family as Jesus? 
Some older brothers and sisters act like they’re God, but imagine having an older brother who WAS God!

Jesus never sinned.  Never cursed, never lied, never stole anything.  He always did the right thing and said the right thing.  I’m sure he always ate his broccoli and brushed his teeth before going to bed.
 
And you know what?  Instead of adoring Jesus for being perfect, his brothers (half-brothers technically) grew to resent him.

Here was a group of boys raised in one of the most perfect human families, with a mother like Mary, a father like Joseph, and an older brother like Jesus.  From the earliest days they heard the truth about the Messiah.  The spoke with him, lived with him, witnessed his mighty miracles.  And they still didn’t believe!
 
So what’s the point?  This is an important lesson in guilt-free parenting!  It’s a reminder that no one – raised in a Christian home or not – can come to Christ unless the Heavenly Father calls them to Himself.

That’s what Jesus said in John 6:44 – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
 
So parents, all we can do is provide the right atmosphere that helps our children see what it looks like to follow Christ.  And we can pray that God will soften our children’s hearts and create in them a truth-seeking spirit.  The rest is out of our control.  It’s in God’s hands.

By the way, there was a happy ending for the siblings of Jesus.

After his resurrection Jesus appeared to James and that transformed his life (1Cor 15:7).  James went on to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Act 15:12-22).  And both he and Jude wrote inspired books that found a place in the sacred canon of Scripture.

So parents, don’t stop praying for your kids, no matter how far they may have wandered from the Lord.
Live your faith before them.
Share your faith with them.
Leave the rest up to our Sovereign Lord.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.