God wants faithfulness “’til death do us part.” This will require some amount of planning. Additionally, couples must be faithful to each other to continue to set the example for adult children who decide to marry and rear their own children. Our purpose of bringing up godly children does not end when the children leave the home. We set an example of godliness until death.
Children do not get automatic updates downloaded to their systems. God created parents to educate them. Fathers are instrumental in developing children so that they become what God wants them to be. Fathers must teach the truth and provide good spiritual examples to their children because children identify with their fathers—not just boys, but girls too! Their behaviors, speech patterns, habits, goals, level of engagement with people, work ethic, spirituality, and other attributes that are essential to one’s identity are formed through paternal modeling.
Research has demonstrated that fathers who are engaged spiritually are apt to produce spiritually minded children. The mothers of the home may be 100% spiritual, but if their fathers are not, the children are not as apt to be either. Fathers need to have a close, loving, and nurturing relationship with their children. They must engage spiritually in several key areas: faithfulness to teaching, intensity of focus, attendance at weekly services, belief in biblical literalism, religious intensity, and civic engagement of one’s beliefs (Families and Faith, Bengtson, Oxford: 2013, p.76-77). It is for these reasons that the Bible says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
Jesus emphasizes that it is the servants who know the Bridegroom, Lord, and King, and are faithfully serving and expecting Him who will ultimately inherit the glorified kingdom of heaven (Matt. 25:1, 14, 34). Are you in the kingdom and ready for the King to come?
The wise man looks anxiously for “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor. 5:1-ff) knowing this is the place that the Savior has prepared for him and is far better than any dwelling here on this earth (John 14:1-4).
We are commanded to pray (1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6). If it is something Christians are expected to do, then getting in and doing it is important! A prayer does not have to be long or eloquent to be effective (Neh. 5:19; Matt. 6:7-8; Luke 18:9-14). Maturing in prayer life will find us developing the discipline of prayer so that we turn to God first in our lives when joys or sorrows or anything prevails (Jas. 5:13; 1 Pet. 5:6-7).
When we offer songs of praise and thanks to God, thanksgiving must be a part of our worship. The songs we sing should always tell of His excellent greatness and let Him know specifically how thankful to Him that we are to be His people and to call Him our Father. Such will keep Him near to our hearts and keep us near to His.
Some have the idea that this is how God has left us: groping around in this world without knowledge of what He wants. This is not the case! God has given us His Light to shine in the darkness, to illumine our path, to guide us home, and to lead others to Him (Ps. 119:110; Jn. 1:4-5; 8:12; II Tim. 3:16-17).
In essence: do you want a summary verse that teaches how we should treat our neighbors, our friends, our enemies, our spouses, our children, our acquaintances in every situation imaginable? Practice the Golden Rule and you’ll seldom go wrong.
Tobacco, alcohol, and drug addictions need serious attention. These addictions can create tremendous problems in the family such as crushing debt, poverty, loss of work, and even death. These are dangerous addictive substances that need to be eliminated from use altogether because of the great risk associated with them. When one is addicted to such things, professional counseling is needed. Get the help that is necessary to stop using the substance and resolve to never go back to it again.
Identify problems early. Addicts may not see what is happening to them as addiction creates blindness to one’s state. It is easy for others, however, to see the behavior for what it is. It is important that families have a relationship where members can talk about these issues. Discussing the behavior is the first step to remedying it.
There are other things, however, to which a person may be addicted. One may be addicted to his job. We call these people workaholics. A person may be addicted to talking or anger. Pornography is a great addiction for many. In his book, Removing Emotional Pain, Ron Wilkins lists the top ten addictions of his time. They are in order: 1) anger, 2) talking, 3) sex, 4) food, 5) tobacco, 6) alcohol, 7) drugs, 8) stealing, 9) gambling, and 10) work. We could probably add “electronics” to this list today.
One could also say that while God allows misfortune and is present when it occurs, that He never abandons His child, that misfortune brings people back to Him, and that ultimately God works to redeem them from the idols in their life (Romans 8:28).
He’s inconsistent and petulant, but he’s likable because he’s identifiable, and like all of us, there are some things that Tevya loves more than God, and he should not (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37).
One must wear the king’s garments. We must put on Christ in baptism. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). His righteousness must be our righteousness or we will not enter (Matthew 5:20). Paul said that he wanted to “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:9).
Regardless of how many new technologies we obtain, the focus of the gospel is still the same: people. Jesus was about people; the church is about people; we need to be about people. What does that mean? It means continuing to worship and take care of the saints in the local body, reaching out to others in the community with the gospel and growing the body of Christ. Taking the message of the gospel to the rest of the world as we have opportunity (Matthew 28:18-20).
Why would God be angry that some people rejected His invitation? This is the rejection of God Himself. Why so serious? Justice demands punishment of sin and all have sinned. There is no forgiveness outside of the wedding feast. God only justifies those who believe and obey Jesus Christ (Romans 3:26). Those who have sought justice in this life alone will be disappointed to find themselves alongside of those to whom they served justice having rejected God’s invitation.
God has prepared a wonderful feast. He offers the bread and water of life, Jesus Christ. “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” (John 6:35). This is God offering Himself because Jesus is God with us. He gives a great feast, the abundant life (John 10:10).
God produced a morally perfect person, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, both God and man in the flesh. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” God knew all along that mankind would not accomplish salvation. God proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt over the many years of waiting for His Son to come into the world. Today, that record stands. Man needs God to save him, and the history of the Bible documents all of man’s failures “that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29).
Every child born into the world is innocent. Genesis 8:21 says that man begins to sin “from his youth,” not “from his birth.” Every single person has a chance to live a morally pure life, but no one does. Everyone sins eventually. At the dawn of time, however, this had yet to be proved. Could some man live a morally pure life without God’s aid? The Old Testament shows otherwise.