What does it take to be a brother or sister of Jesus?

One of interesting aspects of being a believer in Jesus Christ is the truth that we are in the family of God.  This family is described in different ways in scriptures but if it is true we are family then how do we know for sure we are in this family and what does it take to be a good family member.  There are many verses that speak to this thought and the apostle John clearly states the how to become part of God's family.  John 1:12 "Yet to all who received him to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."  John 3:5 "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and he Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'"  John 14:18 "I will leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  I could quote many other verses but the how is by faith, by believing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  The truth is that every person has sinned which means that we have all fallen short of doing what God requires of us which then means we are spiritually dead.  This is why Jesus stated in John 3:3 that we must be born again.  Only through Jesus can we be born again for only Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose again never to die with resurrection power.  Once we have received Jesus then we are part of the family of God and God begins to treat us as His family.  That is why John 14:18 is so important to understand that there are no orphans in God's family.  Everyone is a son or daughter, everyone has purpose, everyone has gifts and ability and responsibilities within the family.  This leads us to the second question of what does it take to be a good family member?  Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."  The answer to what does it take is simple, doing the will of our Heavenly Father.  That is simple but we all know though the working out of doing the will of our Heavenly Father is another issue.  The reason that it gets difficult at times is all the distractions and hindrances that we face in life.  I do not think there is any question the next set of verses in Matthew is the parable of the sower.  Which types of soil in the parable was fulfilling the will of God?  There were four types of soil but only one was being fruitful, only one doing the will of God.  The other three describe the distractions and hindrances that keep people away from doing God's will.  Lack of interest in spiritual things, the difficulty of living for God, the deceitfulness of wealth and basic distractions of life are all things that will hinder a person in doing the will of God.  So what does it take to be a brother or sister of Jesus?  Doing the will of our Heavenly Father by keeping our eyes on Jesus not the world.  By trusting in God's provision for us in this world and not the world's means of provision.  By focusing on being faithful to the giftings of God in our lives and being a servant within His Kingdom.
May the Lord of all of life strengthen us in the inner being to do the will of God in our lives.

Pastor John