Is the Lord Jesus honored in your home? Why would Jesus' relatives be so upset
with him when he began his public ministry? On one occasion Jesus remarked that
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:36).

 

The Gospel of Mark records the reaction of Jesus' relatives when he went home: they
came to seize him. They, no doubt, thought that Jesus must have gone mad or
become a religious fanatic. How could a good home-body from Nazareth leave his
carpentry trade and go off to become an itinerant preacher? Jesus had thrown
away the security and safety of a quiet and respectable life close to his family
and relatives. He probably expected some opposition or reaction from the highest
religious authorities in Jerusalem. The hardest opposition, however, may come
from someone close to us, even your own kin. Jesus met opposition with grace and
with determination to fulfill his Father's will. Are you ready to obey and follow the Lord even
if others oppose your doing so?
 
"Lord Jesus, may I always put you first and find joy in doing your will. May
your love and charity grow in me, especially in the face of opposition and
adversity."
 
 
Supplementary Reading
Look Straight Ahead 
 

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you -
Proverbs 4:25

 
 
W hat are you looking at today? Not in the natural, but with your spiritual eyes.
In other words, what is in the forefront of your mind and in your heart? Are you
constantly dwelling on your problems or things that have happened in your past?
In the natural, you will move in the direction that your eyes are looking. In
the spiritual, it works the same way. Whatever you focus your mind and heart on,
you will move toward. That’s why today’s verse tells us to look straight ahead.

 
If you are constantly dwelling on your problems or things in your past,
wondering “what if,” then you will stay right where you are. But if you choose
to forgive and release the past, then you can focus on what is ahead of you, and
you’ll begin to move forward.
 
God doesn’t want you to live in the past. He wants you to keep growing and
moving forward. Make the decision to meditate on His goodness and focus on His
promises. Look straight ahead so you can see His blessing and move forward into
the life of victory He has promised you!
 
Heavenly Father, today I set my focus on You. I choose to forget the past by
forgiving others so that I can look straight ahead to Your promises. I ask that
You direct my heart on the path of life that You have for me. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen