True Family : Luke 8:19-21 : What Jesus Did! : HEARTLIGHT®

Home > Devotionals > What Jesus Did! > May 17

True Family - Luke 8:19-21

Jesus' mother and brothers came to visit him. There were so many people that Jesus' mother and brothers could not get close to him. Someone said to Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you." Jesus answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those people that listen to God's teaching and obey it!" (ERV) Full Text

Key Thought

You can be a part of Jesus' true family! You can be Jesus' brother or sister! God presented this gift to us as his way of grace. The word grace actually has two meanings wrapped up into one word. Grace means an undeserved gift as well as having in mind the thankful response to that gift. We are made God's children by God's grace, and our initial response of faith is illustrated through our baptism (Gal. 3:26-29). Then, we are to be obedient to what God has taught us in Jesus, showing we are God's children by our behavior—this is Jesus' point in this statement. It is God's grace, not our obedience that makes us his children. Our obedience is the genuine response of our thanks to his grace. It shows we are part of the family because of the character we reveal. So what does your life show? Are you living out the grace you have received? Does the character of the Father shine through your behavior? Do you show you are part of Jesus' family by how you live?

Today's Prayer

Get WJD by EMAIL!

Enter your email address above to subscribe to the email edition of What Jesus Did! Follow along FREE every day as we go through Luke in a year.

More Info on Mailing Lists

Father of mercy and grace, how can I thank you enough for the incredible gift of grace you have given me in Jesus? I know I can't ever fully show my appreciation, but please accept my heartfelt intention to joyously obey the teachings of your Son and my heartfelt commitment to reflect your holy character and compassion in all that I do and say. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Now you can get Phil's What Jesus Did devotional as a paperback book!

Today's Verses in Context

“No person lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, that person puts the lamp on a lamp table so that the people that come in will have enough light to see. Everything that is hidden will become clear. Every secret thing will be made known, and everyone will see it. So be careful how you listen. The person that has some understanding will receive more. But the person that does not have understanding will lose even the understanding that he thinks he has.”
Jesus’ mother and brothers came to visit him. There were so many people that Jesus’ mother and brothers could not get close to him. Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”
Jesus answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those people that listen to God’s teaching and obey it!”

— Luke Luke 8:16-25 (ERV)

Comments on "True Family":

You were all baptized into Christ. So you were all clothed with Christ. This shows that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Now, in Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek (non-Jew). There is no difference between slaves and free people. There is no difference between male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. You belong to Christ. So you are Abraham's descendants. You get all of God's blessings because of the promise {that God made to Abraham}. —Galatians 3:26-29 (ERV)

I mean that you are saved by grace. And you got that grace by believing. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God. No! You are not saved by the things you have done. So no person can boast {that he saved himself}. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would do good things. God had already planned those good things for us. God had planned for us to live our lives doing those good things. —Ephesians 2:8-10 (ERV)

You believe there is one God. Good! But the demons believe, too! And they shake with fear. You foolish person! Must you be shown that faith that does nothing is worth nothing? Abraham is our father . Abraham was made right with God by the things he did. He offered (gave) his son Isaac to God on the altar. So you see that Abraham's faith and the things he did worked together. His faith was made perfect by the things he did. This shows the full meaning of the Scripture that says: "Abraham believed God. And God accepted Abraham's faith. That faith made Abraham right with God." Abraham was called "God's friend." —James 2:19-23 (ERV)