Firstborn; I’m not one, by the way. That role would fall to my eldest sister, Vickie, bless her heart! A lot of responsibility falls on that firstborn child, none of which I would likely carry as well as she does. My husband is also a firstborn, bless his heart! No really! He’s so organized and list driven, I’m so thankful he’s a part of my life. Everything must have a plan to go with it, followed by a list from his handy dandy notebook which is never far from his side. I’m the ‘idea’ giver and he implements it. It’s like having my very own personal assistant. Gotta love those firstborns.

Did you know that Jesus is the firstborn of the Father? Well of course you did, who doesn’t know that! Perhaps what many of us miss is the fact that he was the firstborn of many siblings. That, my friends would be us. Romans 8:28-30 Phillips says it like this;  Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons.

Now that ‘family likeness’ is not in physical appearance, because God is a Spirit and so he’s talking about that realm, that we have a likeness of his Spirit. Many of us are thinking, ‘Yeah, I don’t see the resemblance at all!’ God calls us to be like Jesus. Jesus said he only did what he saw the Father do so he imitated his Daddy. We are also to be imitators of Christ. Jesus trusted God’s plan, we must trust God’s plan. Everything God is or will be is LOVE. Everything born of Love is still Love. Our very nature should be the same love as the love of God. Healing the sick, a reflection of Love. Raising the dead, a reflection of Love. We must be motivated by the same deep love the Father has for us.

“Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.” Do you see that? Do you love God? Trust him, he has a plan. It may not look right, it may not feel good, but God has a plan. When the time is right, than the purposes of God will be revealed and everything will fall into place. I’m Jesus’ sister. A middle child. Content to know that as a firstborn, he has written it all down for me to easily reference. His Spirit is my personal assistant, keeping me on track because he has a plan and purpose for what I’m going through. His plans are to bless me. “He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons.”

Wow! Father, you never cease to amaze me. “I will find joy in the Lord. I will delight in my God. He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom with a priest’s turban, like a bride with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10) How wonderful are your plans for me. How deep and rich is your love for me. As you hold up the mirror to my spirit today, may I reflect the image of Love to all around me. May their lives be infused with Love and may the residual of that experience affect the lives around them as well. It’s in the name of Love I pray, Amen.