Mending Fences Blog

Family- One of the best gift ever – OKO-JOSEPH OMOTESE COMFORT

Christmas is a time of gifting. God himself showed the example when he gave his only begotten son; the most precious gift ever.

As I sit down to write this article, one question motivates me, “why did God send his son to a family”? Modernists and indeed the society today, plus all the Women Liberation Movement, do not see anything wrong in an imbalanced family.

Come to think of it, if I were God, maybe I would have asked Mary to be a single mother, so she and her “Holy Son” will be together but God involved Joseph in the process even when he was not needed for the conception. Despite the fact that there was no clearly defined role for Joseph in the conception of the baby Jesus, God still knew that he was important to balance the equation. Women especially in the western world today go for artificial insemination because they feel they do not need the man.

God deals with us according to our families, lineage and generations hence the reason for the several accurately captured genealogies in the Scripture. A family; a father, a mother and their children are one of the best gifts that God has given to mankind.

A family is a gift. Cherish yours, whether nuclear or extended. Christmas is a time for family dinners, family get-togethers, family vacations and gifting. Let us use this time to remember our families and like the first family of Christ that 1^st Christmas, let us bask in the love that God has shown us by giving His Son for our salvation. As much as it is within our power, we should not be apart from our families at this time.

For the widows and the orphans who have lost the love of a family for one reason or the other, the less privileged ones in the society around us; this is the time to show love to them and let them feel the blessings of a family at Christmas.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year in advance.

THE COVERING.
— COMFORT OMOTESE OKO-JOSEPH.

COVER: to place or spread something over so as to PROTECT or CONCEAL; to provide with a covering; a hiding place or shelter; to ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR A PERSON OR THING; to insure against risk; to GUARD or protect.

God is our covering. The unfailing example of a covering for us all.

Fathers as our covering

Your husband is your covering…because He is the HEAD and leader of your household.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the HEAD of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

Your husband is your covering…because He is your PROTECTOR and co-heir with you in Christ.
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat her with respect as the WEAKER PARTNER and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

A husband is your covering…because He is your LOVER and your best of friends.
Genesis 2:25 Then man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

A husband is your covering…because He is your PROVIDER and co-worker with you in Kingdom service.
1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not PROVIDE for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Dear wives: Is your husband your covering? Are you rested under his protective wings, as you would Christ? God wants you to submit to him in all things and entrust the things which are beyond your ability at His throne in prayer.

Wives as covering

It’s so easy to see the faults of our spouse and be angry at them.
I’m not saying that we, as wives, are suppose to carry all the burdens and enable our husbands in areas that aren’t healthy.
God did call us to love; and how can we not when He first loved us? (1 John 4:19)
Through setting aside my feelings and attitude in a moment where I could cover my husband and help him to shine, proved to me that being selfless is how God wants us to love each other in our marriages.
God demonstrated His own love for us, that while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) HE COVERED US!
Who, that you know would send His one and only Son to die for us – WHILE we were sinners.
Our example is set.
Love is patient and kind.
What an opportunity we have each day to love our spouse as God asks.
Wives: It’s a beautiful, joyful blessing to cover your husband. There is no one else who can love him in this way.
Proverbs 31:11 (ESV)
“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”

Children as coverings
Genesis 9 vs. 20 – 23
Ham saw his fathers nakedness. Talked about it instead of taking action to cover it.
He got a curse that went beyond his generation to the next.
His brothers were blessed.
Walk in love!
Love covers multitude of sin.
Be a covering.