«And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.» (Luke 2:4-5 NLT)

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God uses your family to direct you toward his purpose. The family into which you were born was not the result of an accident; God spoke you, quite deliberately, into your mother’s womb. You are a unique blending of the DNA, heritage, and characteristics of your parents.

Jesus had a family too. We tend to think of Jesus in terms of his heavenly Father, or as the son of Mary, or the heir to David’s throne. But he had a flesh and blood family that God used to move Jesus toward his holy purpose.

When we think about the heritage of Jesus, we might think about his lineage from King David, yet Jesus became a carpenter because that was his earthly father’s trade. Can you imagine that, when the local townspeople looked into the face of Jesus, they saw a hint of Mary in his smile or his eyesí Because of his family obligations, as the oldest son, Jesus waited until he was 30 years old to begin his public ministry.

What does this mean?

God is using your family to work his purpose in you – He placed you in your family to help you develop Christ-like characteristics. Hopefully, those characteristics are developed through positive role models, relationships that encourage and support you as you learn to be more like Jesus. But even if you’re in a difficult situation, God can still use your family to develop a Christ-like character.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.