Family...Worth Fighting For

Genesis 14:14-16 -  Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.   He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.  So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

War broke out in the land that Lot had settled in. He was taken captive along with many of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  But when Abram heard of his brother’s plight…he rallied all 318 of his servants…and armed them to go and fight for their freedom. They chased the armies of the kings that took his brother as far as he needed to go to save him.

It is a wonderful picture of how family should love and fight for each other in times of trouble.   God spattered the Bible with many stories of such dedication and love.  The parents of Moses loved him so much they hid him in a waterproof basket and floated him in a river to save him.  And Nehemiah 14 tells the story of how the people of Jerusalem fought off the kings that threatened to stop them from repairing the walls of the city.  And the most sacrificial story of how God sent his son to earth as a baby to save everyone who would believe and become a member of the largest family of all.

It is a great reminder amid the busy schedules of Christmas to keep the reason for the season forefront in my mind.  It is a reminder to go as far as I need to go to keep my family safe from the evils in the world. I might just save a few extra people along the way…adding to the kingdom of heaven as many as I can before it is too late.

Father…thank you for the reminder to keep you my greatest focus all year through.  Forgive me for the times that I have given myself or some material thing more importance that you. Help me to keep you so centered in my heart that I protect the family that you have already given me …and help to add to it more believers with the testimonies of how you have helped me.  Amen.