Six Rays Of Hope For The Family

God is very concerned about the family and has given us many principles throughout His Word to strengthen and help it.Six Rays Of Hope For The Family Why is it so hard to raise a family today? Has it always been so hard? Is it possible to have a Christian home today? When we look around we see all kinds of crime on the rise, teenage pregnancy increasing, and the divorce rate out of control. It is no secret to anyone that raising a family today is no easy task. But has it ever been easy? If we could go back to the days of Genesis 3 and 4 and talk with Adam and Eve, the parents of the very first family, they would probably tell us the same thing - it wasn’t easy. Think how they must have felt when Cain killed Abel. Why did this happen? Both boys had the same training, they both were taught to love God, their parents and one another. How could such a thing happen to their family? We know that the ultimate answer is that each of us is a sinner with a free will who must make a choice. But are there any guarantees for the family who wants to live for God today? Is there help somewhere? There may not be any guarantees, but there is help. It is found in the Word of God. There we read of three institutions that God has established: the family (Gen. 3-4), civil government (Gen. 9), and the Church (Acts 2). While all three have been and are now under continual attack, I would like to focus on the family and look at six rays of hope from the the Bible that will strengthen and protect our families from these attacks. Remember God
In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, as Moses spoke to the people of God, he really emphasized making God the priority in the family. Parents were to teach their children to fear the Lord and walk in His ways. Moses began by directing families to have the right reference point: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Dt. 6:4 NKJV). If our family is going to be for God today, it needs to know who God is and what He requires. Moses went on to tell God’s people that what God requires is a right relationship with Him. He wants our all: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt. 6:5). Then Moses pointed out that there needs to be the right repetition of God’s instructions: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Dt. 6:7). In others words, God’s Word should be part of our family life each and every day, not just on Sunday. If our homes are going to be what God wants them to be, He must be the priority. Rely On The Word
Since the family was established by God, His Word should be its source of strength. Genesis gives us the beginning of the family. In Exodus, we see that the last section of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:10-17) was written to protect the family. The book of Ruth has much to say to the family, as does the beginning of First Samuel. And don’t forget that Proverbs and Song of Solomon were written by a father mostly to his son. There are so many examples of families that we can learn from in the Old Testament. At the end of the Old Testament there is a prophetic promise about the family: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6). God is very concerned about the family and has given us so many principles throughout His Word to strengthen and help it. If we want to know how the family should work today, God’s instructions in the New Testament (especially Eph. 5:22-6:4, Col. 3:18-21, 1 Pet. 3:1-7) will help us shine for Him in this dark world. Resolve To Take Responsibility
It is the God-given responsibility of parents to train up their children in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6). This training is not just teaching by telling, but also by doing - that is, by living our faith before our children. When Paul wrote Timothy, he reminded him of the training he had received as a child and the impact it had on him (2 Tim. 3:14-17).
Rebuild The Family Altar A family altar is simply a regular time when the family reads the Bible and prays together. Some call this family devotions or family worship. What we call it doesn’t matter. What is important is to spend some time regularly as a family before the Lord. It does not have to be complicated or lengthy. It should be a time for reading, praying, asking questions, even discussing fears and doubts openly. It can take place after a meal or at another set period of time. The object is to spend time with the Lord together as a family on a regular basis (Ps. 1). Prayer should also be an important part of our family life. Prayer is essential because it teaches our children to depend on God. It is good to include our children in on some of the things we as parents pray about: perhaps the purchases of certain items or other family decisions. Some families keep a written record of the prayer requests and when they were answered. This helps to drive home the point that God does answer prayer. Reconcile Problems
So many family conflicts go unresolved and this causes real difficulties in the future. The Word of God challenges us to not let the sun go down on our wrath (Eph. 4:26). And again we are encouraged to confess our trespasses to one another (Jas. 5:16). Our words can be so damaging, but there are six expressions of healing that need to be in every home. They are: “please” and “thank you,” which help us to remember to treat others the way we want to be treated; “I’m sorry” and “I was wrong” which break down the walls of hurt and build bridges of healing; and “I love you” and “I’m praying for you” which will make a real and lasting difference in our families. Ready Hearts To Serve
In Deuteronomy, one of the things God’s people were to pass on to the next generation was a desire to serve the Lord. Moses brought this out when he said, “And now, Israel what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Dt. 10:12). This desire to serve can be implanted in our children from a very young age. Think of little Samuel who was given by his mother to serve the Lord before Eli, the priest (1 Sam. 2:11,18; 3:1). We don’t have to give our children to a priest to teach them to serve the Lord. We can take them to visit the elderly, to help clean the church building, or to work at a camp. There are many opportunities to serve the Lord all around us. The Church as a whole would be stronger if families served together for the glory of the Lord. Real Challenge
In the book of Acts we learn of four families. The first, is that of a man named Cornelius who feared God and brought his family together to pray. After they were taught the Gospel, the whole house came to know Christ (Acts 10:1-2,24,44-48). In Acts 16 we are introduced to Lydia, who could have been a single mother. She gathered her household together to hear the word of God, and they were all converted and were baptized. In the same chapter a jailer was saved and when he brought his family together to learn what happened to him they too were saved (Acts 16:25-34). Then in Acts 18:8 we read about a religious leader named Crispus who “believed on the Lord with all his household.” These four families demonstrate that the Lord wants those responsible for the family to bring Christ into the home and allow Him to change it. The Lord’s desire for your family and mine is that we might shine for Him today. And He has provided all the resources we need! By Tim Hadley