Today we will look at what God’s Word tells us about leaving the family for God. Abandoning family for God does not mean destroying family relationships but it does mean accepting God as our main goal in life.
Jesus taught us to love God above all else. This means that if there ever comes a time in our lives when it comes to putting God or family first, we should put God first.
In this case we can mention the story of Abraham where God ordered him to leave his family and homeland and move to a new place. Abraham listened to God and went to the new land that God had told him to go to. Although it was not an easy task but Abraham’s obedience and faith in God is very commendable.
When Jesus was on earth, he also placed God above his family. He gave up his family to fulfill God’s plan. He said that those who do the will of His heavenly Father are His true family. From here we understand that our relationship with God is spiritual and often transcends the family relationship of the world.
Leaving the family for God means putting God first and doing His will. When we are ready to do the will of God above all these things, the parents and the children of the family, we are pleasing to God. God wants us to walk in His way.
Let us see the Bible scriptures below that talk about leaving family for God.
Luke 14:26 : —
“If any man come to me, hate not his father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, yea, his own life also, he cannot be my disciple”
Luke 18:29-30 : —
“He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sakeWho shall not receive manifold more in this present time, in the world to come life everlasting”
Luke 5:11 : —
“When they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, followed him”
Luke 5:27-28 : —
“After these things he went forth, saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: he said unto him, Follow meAnd he left all, rose up, followed him”
Luke 9:59-62 : —
“He said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go bury my fatherJesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou preach the kingdom of GodAnd another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my houseAnd Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”
Matthew 19:29 : —
“Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, shall inherit everlasting life”
Matthew 4:18-22 : —
“Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishersAnd he saith unto them, Follow me, I will make you fishers of menAnd they straightway left their nets, followed himAnd going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; he called themAnd they immediately left the ship their father, followed him”
Matthew 8:22 : —
“But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; let the dead bury their dead”
Mark 10:29 : —
“Jesus answered said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, the gospel’s”
Genesis 12:1 : —
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred, from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee”
Hebrews 11:8 : —
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; he went out, not knowing whither he went”
Deuteronomy 13:6-8 : —
“If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathersNamely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earthThou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him”
Acts 7:3 : —
“Said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred, come into the land which I shall shew thee”
Philippians 3:8 : —
“Yea doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”
John 12:25-26 : —
“He that loveth his life shall lose it; he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternalIf any man serve me, let him follow me; where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour”
Romans 12:1-2 : —
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serviceAnd be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, perfect, will of God”
Romans 8:35-39 : —
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughterNay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved usFor I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to comeNor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Galatians 2:20 : —
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, gave himself for me”
Ephesians 5:1-2 : —
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear childrenAnd walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, hath given himself for us an offering a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour”
Colossians 3:1-2 : —
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of GodSet your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”
Psalm 45:10-11 : —
“Hearken, O daughter, consider, incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, thy father’s houseSo shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; worship thou him”
Isaiah 55:7 : —
“Let the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts: let him return unto the Lord , he will have mercy upon him; to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”
Jeremiah 31:33 : —
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord , I will put my law in their inward parts, write it in their hearts; will be their God, they shall be my people”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 : —
“A new heart also will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you: I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, I will give you an heart of fleshAnd I will put my spirit within you, cause you to walk in my statutes, ye shall keep my judgments, do them”
Titus 2:11-12 : —
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all menTeaching us that, denying ungodliness worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, godly, in this present world”
Revelation 2:10 : —
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, I will give thee a crown of life”