Tuesday, January 20, 2015

For Children’s Sake

From today's devotional

The Word of God is the basis for all successful family relationships, whether with parents, siblings, or spouse. This text, however, deals with the foundation we must lay in raising our children to be people of God. We are to begin by instructing them in the Word. 

Following God’s law is not given to make us into spiritual crackpots, but rather to make us “naturally supernatural.” Living God’s Word does not require that we tack Scripture placards all over our walls and speak in a “holy” tone of voice. It does require, however, that we teach our children how to apply God’s Word to appropriate situations (Prov. 4:1–4; 1 Cor. 10:11). It does require that we fill our homes with the joy of the Lord (Neh. 8:10). It does require that we follow the structure that God has ordained within a believing home (Eph. 5:22–6:4). And it does require consistency and persistence in teaching (2 Tim. 3:14–17). What are we to do when we face a challenge in our family? We apply the Word, and watch the Lord turn the situation to His glory.