Sunday, February 12, 2017

God Uses Families

Family was God’s idea from the beginning of time. So it was God’s original intention for marriages to be happy. This was to ensure that all children could grow up in happy Christian homes. Today, there is a challenge in family life. As a result many children lost respect for their parents. They no longer obey them. There are also children who grow up in homes with single parents.

What do scriptures say about family?

1) God made the family

Where did a family originate? We indicated earlier on that a family was God’s idea. That means it was never initiated by man. Families did not just happen. The idea of family came with God before Adam and Eve fell into sin according to Genesis 1:28, which says, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” We note from this scripture that marriage, family and home did not result from sin. These institutions have been part of human society since the time God created the first people.

There is a need for strong and healthy families. We learn from scripture that the home and family come first in terms of importance. Even though we read of nations, tribes, and governments, they cannot take the place of the family.

2) God works through families

The Word of God tells us about the great heroes of faith. It tells us of holy people of God. But it does not end there. Behind those heroes of faith we are told of either one or both of their parents. These heroes include among others; Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Gideon, David, Isaiah, Paul, Peter and Andrew, James and John, and others. The parents of these heroes shared in the glory of their children as they also contributed in their make-up as servants of God. So through the indication of their parents, God is showing us that families have a role to play in God’s great plan.

When making a covenant with Abraham, God included his children. God promised to be the God of Abraham and his descendants forever. God works through families according to the following scriptures:

Genesis 15:5, “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

Deuteronomy 7:9, “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.”

Psalms 105:8, “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.”

We can see from the above scriptures that indeed we serve a God of families.
I am glad that through the covenant with Abraham, God brought every nation into His family according to Galatians 3:28-29, which reads as follows:

Gal 3:28  Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.
Gal 3:29 So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.
We learn from this covenant that families are important to God. God is not just interested in the believer, but He is also interested in their children. He is a great loving God.

3) God uses families to bless children

Scriptures show us that the right place for educating and training children is family. God clearly tells us as parents how we should train our children to know, love, serve, and obey Him. The Lord uses Christian parents to teach their children about what is right and wrong, and how to know and serve God. Even though Pastors are well qualified to teach our children, they cannot replace the parents because children spend most of their time with their parents. Furthermore, the characters of children are formed during the first six years of their lives and they are with the parents at these ages.

The other important point is that children do not only learn the ways of God by what they hear, but they mostly learn by what they see their parents do. So as parents we show our children what it means to be a Christian. What you do in the presence of children is very important. Understand therefore, that children are learning and that will be part of their characters.

According to Proverbs 20:7, we read, “Good people live right, and God blesses the children who follow their example.”

Proverbs 13:20 says, “Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.” So children learn from the wisdom or foolishness of their parents.
We learn that God the Creator hates other gods. He expects His people to only worship Him. God wants us to teach our children to serve the right God. Look what Deuteronomy 12:2 says, “But the nations that live there worship other gods. So after you capture the land, you must completely destroy their places of worship--on mountains and hills or in the shade of large trees.”

So as a parent teach your children what you have also learned through your personal experience with God. Children must learn to know, love, and obey the God of their parents.

4) Everyone must be part of a family

As much as people now love to be independent, it is important to be part of a family. Someone who is cut off from a family is nothing any more. As coals can only glow when they remain together, every person needs to be part of a family. When a family is broken down, the lives of young people are ruined. In order to build God’s church; we must build strong and happy families in our churches.

In conclusion, may it be indicated that since God initiated families and works through families, He instructs us to build happy families. A healthy family life and love at home is very important for the children. This is also important for the growth of the kingdom of God. So it is important for parents to be born again so they can properly teach and train them in the fear of the Lord.

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