How Did God Get In Your Life?
The new pastor wanted to get to know the members of his congregation. One evening at a church dinner he asked Mark how he came to know the Lord as his Savior.
To his
surprise Mark replied, “Well pastor, I believe God is at work in our family.”
One thing is
for certain: If our faith is real and at work, it will be real and at work in
our homes. Family relationships always seem to be “on the edge.” There are so
many different individual wants and needs, so many competing priorities and
interests that relationships always seem to be stressed to the point of
breaking.
The letter
to Ephesians has some sound advice for families. It very clearly states that
children are to obey their parents as long as parents act in the will and way
of God. Parents have every right to have expectations of their children that
are in keeping with His Word. Ideally, parents will act with thoughtfulness,
gentleness and love. While this may seem difficult, if family members act in
accordance with the teachings of God’s Word, each will put the other’s
interests ahead of their own and selfishness will be replaced with selflessness
because the real Father is the head of the home and worshiping Him will come
first.
Fathers are
also advised to “Bring up your children with the discipline and instruction
approved by the Lord.”
Prayer:
We pray, Father, for families that are struggling to survive, dealing
with overwhelming problems that leave them helpless. Give them hope through
Christ to be victors. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: Children, obey your parents because you belong to the
Lord, for this is the right thing to do.
“Honor your father and mother.” Ephesians 6:1-4
