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It All Starts At Home

INTRODUCTION

The family is under attack for quite some time now. Broken marriages, and the resulting broken families, are now quite common. Gender preferences among the youth create conflicts and confusion among parents. Pre-marital sex or casual sex are now accepted as the norm. Traditional family values are considered irrelevant. Yet the celebration of Mothers Day and Fathers Day are good reminders for us that family is still important in our lives. More than that, the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments teaches this also (Deut 5:16; 6:1-3).

FOUR REASONS WHY THE FAMILY MUST BE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT (Deut 6:4-25)

  1. The family must love God as one (Deut 6:4-9). – Learning to love God must start at home. Parents must first exemplify this in their own lives and then teach it to their children. This is the reason why the fifth commandment is about honoring the parents. They have the vital role of teaching their children how to love God wholeheartedly. Children, in turn, must learn to listen to and obey their parents so that this learning process will work out effectively.
  2. The family must stay faithful to God as one (Deut 6:10-12). – Both difficulty, as well as prosperity, can become reasons to forget God. God wants the family to become the first community of faith where both parents and children are reminding and encouraging each other to stay faithful to God. This is the reason why families should have regular meetings together to build each other up in the Lord. If not, each one may be tempted to serve other gods without being aware of it.
  3. The family must overcome the world as one (Deut 6:13-19). – There are many enemies and many challenges that a family may go through. They must stay united to overcome all of these. God wants the family to be a strong fortress of faith so that together they may overcome these challenges. Divided they will become easy targets by the enemy of their souls. But united they can withstand the enemy’s attacks.
  4. The family must testify about their salvation as one (Deut 6:20-25). – The faith must be passed on in every generation. This is God’s will. He wants each generation to understand the saving grace of God so that they can experience it for themselves and then, later on, pass it on also to the next generation. When faith is not passed on, with understanding and conviction, the next generation will suffer for it.

CONCLUSION

  1. Spirituality must start in the family.
  2. When the family is dysfunctional, it affects the rest of society.
  3. Starting and building a family under God’s authority is crucial.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Why is the family crucial in fulfilling God’s purpose for us?
  2. How can we start and build strong families under God?
  3. What will you do to apply what you’ve learned today?

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