THE OHANA OF THE LORD

(An article I wrote several years ago)

Sometimes we get enlightenment from the strangest of places, even an animated movie about a strange little alien dude called Stitch and his equally little Hawaiian friend Lilo. It has been some time since I enjoyed watching Lilo and Stitch but something I will never forget about it is little Lilo’s explanation to Stitch of the Hawaiian word OHANA. To quote Lilo:-

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind ... or forgotten.”

I had call to remember it a little while ago when I was talking to a brother and friend about a new interchurch men’s group and an elderly brother and friend came to mind. A brother who has not been in the best of health in recent times. What about him and those like him I asked, are they not also brothers in Christ? Our plans must include them. They need to be as much a part of any men's group as we are, we cannot leave them behind. - They too are the "Ohana" of the Lord.

It is so easy to get ourselves tied up in programs and "leadership" the way the world does it. We prepare the programs, the planned activities and the schedules, the goals and the mission statements, etc.. We decide the way, raise the standard, and set the pace and having fulfilled our "leadership" role we hand responsibility over to the followers themselves to keep up with us. But many cannot keep up for many different reasons, and sadly all too often they just disappear from our radar screens and get left behind. They fall through the cracks in OUR organisations (but never from the hand of the Lord Himself).

BUT we are not called to leadership as the world considers “leadership”. We have but one leader, the Lord Himself. Even Jesus did not call Himself “the good leader” but rather, “the good shepherd”. Likewise He exhorts those of us who would take on the responsibility, not to be “leaders” of His people but shepherds of His people, like Him. For a shepherd is much more than a leader, he is a caretaker who lovingly tends the needs of every single sheep in his care – ALL of them! Jesus did not say to Peter if you love me lead my sheep, rather He said to Peter if you love me feed my sheep. It is not the responsibility of the sheep to keep up, it is the responsibility of the shepherd to ensure none get left behind. Moses was raised by Pharoah in Egypt and no doubt taught in the ways of being a great leader of a nation. But the Lord first took Moses to the desert for many years to learn the ways of the humble shepherd before asking him to shepherd His people to the Promised Land.

The truth is we who are in Christ are not people of the world that we should follow the ways of the world - we are the family of the Lord, who follow the ways of Christ Jesus Himself. WE ARE OHANA! The ohana of the Lord! Ohana means family – and family means nobody gets forgotten – nobody gets left behind.

John 6:37-40  "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Provided it is done freely and without charge

"The Ohana of The Lord" may be copied, used and distributed

(in its entirety only including this notice)

by brothers and sisters in Christ

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By special permission of 

D.J. Ludlow copyright  2012.

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