Is True Happiness Attainable? What Prayer is Not

The Family

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Posted by Dr. Robert Keena on Jul 27, 2011 in Articles, Relationships

Genesis 2:18 (New Living Translation)

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

God chose to make man’s helper from the man’s flesh and bone. In so doing, He illustrated for us that in marriage man and woman symbolically are united into one. This is a mystical union of the couple’s hearts and lives.

The purpose of the family:

to be a safe haven against the evil in the world;
to be a hedge of protection;
to provide warmth and love;
to help support one another;
to pass on a legacy.

What is in a legacy?

Let’s give a definition: Legacy is something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor (World English Dictionary).

Legacy – of a personal relationship and intimacy with God.

Legacy – of a family estate that can always be considered home.

Legacy – of passing on skills, teaching, training, and wisdom.

The Family System:

The family needs to be free and walk in the statues of God. There has to be a family system to get there.

The family system is to nurture and care. Families are either families of obedience or disobedience.

When God made Adam He realized that it was not good that he should be alone, so He made him a helper. A helper is a counter-part to the man.

The woman was given greater senses (intuition) than the man.

Who are the pillars in the family that hold up the family?

The father and mother should be the pillars in the family. If God is teaching His principles to you, you may need to leave the traditions and lies that are contrary to the teachings of the Word of God.

You belong to God’s family first and there are rules and principles that we as children must live by.

The family system can help to allow someone to step out and go forward with life and his or her walk with God.

Families can have a pride problem that affects every member. Having a professional athlete or musicians in the family can make the family members feel that they have to live up to the pride of the position.

Hebrews 13:17 (New Living Translation)

Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow.

The family system is important here on this earth, for when the Lord comes back the family system will no longer be important.

Our family system is only for the earth. In heaven we will be in God’s family system and live according to His system.

Your family gives you an identity, but your true identity comes from God.

Your worth is never fulfilled based on the identity that your family gives you.

Your significance is only verified and fulfilled when you stand in the identity that comes from God. We need to check ourselves, and ask who I am.

Family Responsibilities must be a Priority for Christians.

1Timothy 3:5 (Amplified Bible)

For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?

Christian workers and volunteers sometimes make the mistake of thinking their work is so important that they are justified in ignoring their families.

Spiritual leadership, however, must begin at home. If a man is not willing to care for, discipline, and teach his children, he is not qualified to lead the church.

Don’t allow your volunteer activities to take away from your family responsibilities.

Consistent Living makes the Deepest Impression on Children

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (New Living Translation)

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

This passage provides the central theme of Deuteronomy. It sets a pattern that helps us relate the Word of God to our daily lives.

We are to love God, think constantly about His commandments, teach His commandments to our children, and live each day by the guidelines in His Word.

God emphasized the importance of parents teaching the Bible to their children. The church and Christian schools cannot be used to escape from this responsibility.

The Bible provides so many opportunities for object lessons and practical teaching that it would be a shame to study it only one day a week. Eternal truths are most effectively learned in the loving environment of a God-fearing home.

Family Members should Honor one Another

Ephesians 6:1-3 (New Living Translation)

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Luke 2:48-51 (New Living Translation)

His parents didn’t know what to think. Son, his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” “But why did you need to search?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

But even though Jesus knew His real Father, He did not reject His earthly parents. He went back to Nazareth with them and lived under their authority for another eighteen years.

God’s people should not despise human relationships or family responsibilities. If the Son of God obeyed His human parents, how much more should we honor our family members!