To win the battle for your family, it will take some boot camp training. It doesn't just happen. So let's get some basic training.
1. Attend church together. This seems like a given, but many have chosen to make church an option. It is something that we do when there's nothing else going on or when no one has come in for the weekend. It is true that church attendance doesn't make you a Christian, nor cause you to lose you your reservation if you don't attend faithfully, but, how can you expect to grow when you don't deal with this most basic of requirements of the faith. Don't be like the heathen who want to avoid church, come together often to encourage one another.
2. God Talk. When you're at home, make the Lord the center of all you say. Bring Him up in everyday conversation. Fill your home with godly music. Make the conversation about Jesus. Even discuss how He worked on your behalf that day. He always does. Whatever you say or do, do it for the glory of God.
3. Everyone needs a Bible. A well used Bible makes for a good family. Make sure that everyone in your household has an easily understood one. I recommend the HCSB or Holman Christian Standard Bible. Don't wait until they're in third grade or get a little older, now is the time. The Bible gives us the heart of God, so if we are to know his will for us as a family, we must all have Bibles and have access to being able to read them.
4. Memorize important verses together. Reading the Bible is a great place to start, but we can go deeper through memorization. As a family, we should take the word of God and engraft it into our hearts. We call that memorization. There's nothing better that you can do for your family than have them all memorize Scripture together. For you, I put together 26 verses that are important and easy to remember for all your family. You can do it in a week or two. These verses can make a huge difference in the God talk in your family whether you're around the table, in the living room. or any time you're with one another. So, make a commitment this week to memorize scripture together. My next blog will have the 26 verses that go with the ABCs to help you memorize easily some important verses that will impact you for the rest of your life.5. Pray before every meal, everywhere. I don't think we realize the impact we can make when we are around our table or out in public and pray with our family. They realize the importance our God is to us when we pray around the table.
6. Say, "God willing." No matter what we do or what we say we're going to do, we need to end our words with God willing. Too often we make promises that we're not able to keep. When we say God willing, it means that if God wants us to do it, we will do it. The book of James even talks about the importance of saying we're going to take a trip if God is willing. Make sure that you end your statements with what you're planning to do in the will of God. It could stop a lot of heartache.
7. Have family devotions. Nothing too complicated or complex. Just make sure that you read a scripture and did you talk about it briefly. Make sure especially if it's a young child or young children that you have a Scripture that they can understand easily. Use the Beatitudes or read some Proverbs. Maybe use the Proverb that corresponds with day of the month. It'll give you practical information and they should be able to use in their everyday life.8. Pray. You need to pray when you go to bed. You need to pray when you're in your car on the road. You can even use what we call prayer "hooks." When you see something, that would remind you to pray for something or someone, use it as an opportunity to pray for them.
Take the step across the line and build your family. Let's make a difference beginning today!
Still working on building my family,
Pastor Trey Rhodes
No comments:
Post a Comment