Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Home Improvement - Building Better Families



Gtcotr/ws052318

God ordained the family before He ordained the Church.

Genesis 1 NKJV
26 ¶  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Family is a God-ordained relationship.

When God could have been anything He wanted and portrayed Himself as the sun, the moon, fire, thunder and lightning, a voice from heaven, Jupiter or anything else you can imagine … God choose to be our Father … the Head of His family.

The only thing God ever wanted to be is a Father. And, God wants to be is a Father to you.

And, when it is all said and done on planet earth, the only thing God will have left for all His hard work and the thousands of years of dealing with humans, the troubles we face and the complaints we make … the only thing He will have left to show for all He has done is Family … His Family.

The only thing God is working for is family.

Since family is absolutely the most important thing God wants and since He gave His only Son on the cross of Calvary in hopes of gaining only one thing, family … family must be pretty important to Him and therefore family should be the number one priority in our lives as well.

God is spending everything He has on building His family. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt us to spend a little of our time and attention towards building better families.

Ephesians 1
14 ¶  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15  from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — 
19  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Apostle Paul recognized that we are Born-Again into a family and that we should imitate God as His dear children. (Ephesians 5:21) The Psalmist agreed when he said, “God sets the solitary in families.” (Psalms 68:6) 

God is working hard to be a Father and build His family. He has high hopes. God does not need to get better at being family, we do. God is loving and merciful and kind to us. He is willing to pay for whatever is needed to take care of you as His child. God is attentive and approachable. He will never leave us or forsake us. God is the ultimate champion of family relationships and He knows how to play the long game. Let’s take a close look at these:

Seven Truths to Building Better Families

1.  Family is the Best Thing God Ever Ordained
o   God ordained the family before He ordained the Church
o   It will be the only lasting results of God’s efforts on earth.
2.  Family is a Decision
o   To fit within the family structure
§  Be involved
o   To support the family ideals
§  Love
§  Forgive
§  Champion the family
3.  Family Takes Work
o   Show up
o   Participate
§  Time
§  Attention
§  Activity
4.  Family is Designed and Intended to Last Forever
o   Family is the only security we have
§  When we are born
§  When we die
5.  Family Relationships Will be Tested
o   Rights
o   Rules
o   Roles
o   Responsibilities
6.  Family Can be Broken
o   The devil cannot divide a family unless he can get at least one person to work with him.
o   There must be order in the house for a house divided cannot stand.
7.  Family Can be Fixed
·        Get closer to change …
o   Right
o   Reason
o   Responsibility

God ordained the family … participate and help Him succeed.

1.   What is your position and therefore your part in your family?
2.   Take the initiative and be responsible to do your part.
3.   Pray for your family.
4.   Pass the tests!