“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT).
Hebrews 10:25 provides us with an opportunity to make a practical comparison. That comparison involves the similarities that often exist between one’s church family and one’s biological family.
You see, many of the dynamics that exist within our genetic or adoptive families may also be present within our church family as well. To illustrate those similarities, let’s consider the following examples…
- Some biological family members encourage us, support us, and love us. The same should be true of our church family too.
- There may be some family members who do not get along together. The same may occur within our church family as well.
- Generous family members are often willing to assist other family members in times of need. This should be a characteristic of our church family too.
- On the other hand, some family members may prove to be undependable. Sadly, the same may be true of some within our church family.
- Finally, it is not unusual for family members to have disagreements. The same is true of our church family as well.
While we should not excuse these negative characteristics, it is important to recognize how they may contribute to our spiritual development. For example, when members of our church family act insensitively, we must decide if we will put the teaching from Colossians 3:13 into practice: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT).
This may require us to prayerfully overlook these negative qualities for Jesus’ sake. As Proverbs 17:9 reminds us, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends” (ESV). In some instances, we might quietly “cover an offense” by reflecting upon the example set by Joseph, the husband of Mary. Consider Joseph’s initial response when he learned of Mary’s pregnancy…
“…[Jesus’] mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly” (Matthew 1:18-19 NLT).
If Joseph had not received further instruction from God’s angelic messenger, his God-honoring attitude would have led him to separate quietly from Mary to protect her. Thus, we might carefully consider his example in deciding how to interact with those who hurt or offend us.