Shirley Brosius

Robert, my oldest sibling, was known for fast driving. He once skidded on ice, became airborne and landed his car on the floor of a skating rink. As a little girl, I giggled when he picked me up and touched my head to the kitchen ceiling.

 

I idolized my four siblings, who ranged from eight to fifteen years older than me. 

 

Ruth, a talented seamstress, sewed a college wardrobe for me and shared big-sister advice. 

 

Russell just grinned when asked why people called him "Speedy." I could not have gone to college without his interest-free loans.

 

Marie subscribed to mail-order art lessons, and I sat by her side on our bed and drew along with her.

 

You may say, I don't have wonderful memories like that.

 

That's why God places us in HIS family, among HIS people. They are found in churches everywhere on a Sunday morning. Oh, like my siblings, they're not perfect. At times you may even be offended or feel excluded as I felt when my older siblings peddled their bicycles off to a swimming hole and left me behind. But don't give up. 

 

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV).

 

Like my family who supported me through a three-month bout with rheumatic fever and other challenges, church "siblings" support one another through life's ups and downs. We pray for the sick and support the needy.

 

Like Ruth who mentored her younger sisters, older Christians offer sage advice born from experience. Just watching mature Christians handle life's setbacks serves as a pattern for newer converts and assures them that they too can survive losses.

 

Just as it took all hands on deck to tend animals and feed a family of seven, so it takes all hands on deck to create a healthy church family. It's gratifying to lead Vacation Bible School and Sunday school, telling the stories of Jesus. Kitchen duty is hard work, but you get to know one as you chatter away cooking church dinners.

 

At Christmas on our farm we traipsed the fields to cut down a tree and decorated it with heirloom balls and homemade ornaments. So Christian holidays add sparkle and fun to the lives of congregations as they put on cantatas and children's plays. 

 

We cherish memories of shepherds wearing bathrobes and angels holding wands. And of course there are those talent shows and potlucks where we laugh and even cry with each other.

 

On a farm men did the outside work; women the housework. In the church, roles center around spiritual gifts, talents and skills given to both men and women. Teachers, church leaders, kitchen workers, office workers, administrators. All are needed.

 

Oh, yes, sometimes there are squabbles. Marie and I squabbled over who would dust and who would vacuum on a Saturday morning. In families and in church families we sometimes differ in opinions. But through prayer and dialogue, we can work things through if we focus on the essentials of the faith and agree to disagree on nonessentials.

 

Our family members loved one another unconditionally, and so God loves us unconditionally. In our church families, we may not always "like" each other, but we love, respect and support one another unconditionally–no matter what.

 

I wrote all that to say . . . please go to church this Sunday. You'll be blessed!

According to an old song by Frank Sinatra, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. (If you were alive in the 1950's, you're hearing that song in your head.)

Well, the same thing applies to love and knowledge. The apostle Paul sang this song: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV).

 

Loving God is the same as loving my husband. I've thought of him a lot since the day we met. I give him the bigger piece of peach pie. I tell him what I think, tell him my needs, tell him I love him. I love God by telling him the same things.

 

Loving God is the same as loving my family. Nothing makes me happier than spending time together. Bill and I sometimes visit a grandchild at college or one getting established in an apartment. The picture shows our family at the wedding of our oldest grandchild, Rachel, now Mrs. Andrew Prinzo.

 

My love for God grows as I spend time with Him. So I sit before him each morning, usually at 6 a.m., to pray and read my Bible.

 

I recently heard of a young woman who gave a kidney to a family member waiting for a transplant. Family members sacrifice for each other. If we love God, we sacrifice time and energy to serve Him. I've taught children and adults; I've organized VBS and Sunday school and for ten years served on a church staff.

 

I can't say I "love" strangers walking down the street because I don't know them. And that's why I need knowledge. I need to know God in order to love Him well.

 

So how do I "abound in knowledge"? Well, it's the same as knowing how to teach business education, which I once did. I studied accounting and learned how to take shorthand (who remembers that?) and how to use office machines. Then I passed on that knowledge to high school students.

 

I study to learn about God. I read my Bible, listen to pastors and teachers and read inspirational books. And then I pass on what I learn by writing and speaking and by living out biblical principles.

 

Maybe we won't develop into scholars or Bible teachers, but God accepts us for who we are. We need not pass a test or join a club to impress God. Bill and I were not hired for the first jobs we applied for as teachers. They said that as a couple we might have differences that students would sense if our paths crossed in the cafeteria and school officials couldn't have that. God, however, never turns down an applicant to grow or serve as a Christian.

 

If you read on in scripture, Paul tells us why to grow in love and knowledge: "so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:10-11).

 

We all want fruitful lives. We want to grow and show the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23). And our love for God and our knowledge of Him waters that fruit.

 

Think about: What inspirational book might you read to grow in love and knowledge? Whom do you admire for their love of God? Whom might you ask to be a spiritual mentor? Or if you're a mature Christian, whom might you mentor to inspire someone else to grow in the love and knowledge of God?

 

Love and knowledge. Yep. They go together! And in spite of the bumps, they make the ride through life so enjoyable.

For years I taught shorthand students to write as fast as a person talks—60, 90, 120 or even more words per minute. With handwriting, we write only 30-some words per minute. I trained students to "take dictation" from executives.

 

Schools no longer offer shorthand, so I asked a friend what executives do without that support. She said they write their own letters and give them to assistants to "clean up."

 

Anyway, to the untrained eye, the shorthand scribbles on a page don't make sense. And sometimes they don't make sense to the writer either. You must be able to read what you write so that you can "transcribe," type onto paper, what you've written. If you can't read your writing, taking shorthand notes is useless.

 

That reminds me that reading the Bible is also useless unless we do what it says. What good is it to read about prayer, if we fail to pray? What good is it to read about honesty if we fail to report all our income at tax time? What good is it to read about generosity if we fail to graciously give to others what we can? We need to read it and heed it.

 

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV).

 

Notice "all scripture" is profitable. That includes both Old and New Testaments. We learn much about the character of God in both parts of scripture. And we also learn the consequences of staying true to God's principles from biblical saints.

 

Some like Daniel have stood strong. Even when forbidden to pray to anyone other than King Darius, Daniel continued to pray to God—by his window. Because he refused to honor the edict of the king, he was thrown into the lion's den. However, Daniel trusted God, and God rescued Daniel.

 

Others like Ananias and Sapphari have gone astray. They claimed to give the apostles all the money for the sale of a field when in truth they held back some for themselves. The couple died because of their lie.

 

At times we may identify with the prophet Jonah who ran from God. Then scripture rebukes us and, like Jonah, helps us get back on track.

 

I like the way THE MESSAGE puts 2 Timothy 3:16: "The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God . . . . It straightens us out and helps us do what is right."

 

The Old Testament points to a Messiah, and the New Testament identifies that Messiah as Jesus. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount teaches us how to live in harmony with others. Read it and heed it.

 

Now just as I said shorthand students had to be able to translate their notes, we must be able to understand scripture. So listen to sermons. Attend Bible studies. Talk to a Christian friend. Consult helps such as Bible dictionaries. Sure, it's sometimes challenging, but God offers ways, especially in our age of online resources, for us to find insight on challenging passages.

 

I once mentioned to a grandson that I had taught shorthand and was surprised when he asked, "Nana, what is shorthand?" As I listen to game shows that include Bible questions, I realize some people could ask "what is scripture?" May it not be us. May we read it and heed it.