Family Fellowship

With the dawn of the new year, the Lord burdened me to spend more time with those within my family circle and those who are staying with my family. Though there are saints waiting for visitation and shepherding, I was so busy with my official responsibility that till date I could hardly find time to visit them. Repeated request for visiting them were postponed to an unknown date, I don't know when. Now the case is that there are too many seekers and saints waiting for shepherding. In the midst of all these I gave my priority to those who are in my own family, and those who are with me in the same house. 

One by one, I fellowshipped and prayed with them. All of them need special attention and shepherding. One of them, a young one preparing for her Board exam, the other two in the midst of struggling for survival spiritually, as they had been through severe turmoil and hardship in their personal lives. Now I pay special attention to these ones first. First thing first, and the rest will be taken care in due time. 

In personal fellowship, I am beginning to understand their real situation; their struggles in life, their feelings about things and the way to help them. I have to sincerely confess that I cannot help them at all, but shepherd them to turn to the Lord who is the good Shepherd and can truly render special care. Till date, what I can at the most do is, pray, and pray and pray. That's all I  can do and nothing more. While at home or abroad, I would pray personally and with my wife for all these dear ones. I truly have come to the point of utter helplessness in helping these ones with their situation except to pray with them and pray for them. 

Now is the time for yet another exercise of faith, first of all to have faith in the Lord and have faith in the prayer I am offering. My deep concern is, if I cannot be a blessing to my own household how can I be of any blessing outside? As much as the Lord's life grows from within, so much more His shepherding from the family, then to the others.

Family fellowship is as important as any other fellowship of the church and with the saints. I must not be overtly spiritual to assume that all is well at home as long as I take care of the saints outside family circle. Perhaps, there may be exceptional cases, but family life must never be neglected nor sacrificed for the sake of "shepherding" outside. Not that the saints should not be shepherded, but that family must not and never be neglected. Serving ones of the Lord must learn this, and must learn it thoroughly well for the sake of the Lord's testimony as a family and then as the church eventually.

Lord, shepherd my family. Yes even the extended family and also all the saints in the local church to be Your testimony.