Our relationship with Christ should be at the center of every other relationship in our lives! And when Christ is in His rightful place in our hearts and our homes, all our relationships will be better because of it! Unfortunately, many of us know nothing of Jesus being the core of our lives and families. Some people include God in their families only because they think some religious training will be good for their kids…much like piano lessons or braces. Christ is not at the center of their lives; He’s just some peripheral addendum to their already busy lives!
We’ve moved from being families that pray together to being families that play together! If Sunday sporting events or weekend getaways take priority over being in church, maybe we need to take another look at our priorities! No matter how we try to explain it or justify it, it’s hard to get around Hebrews 10:25 that talks about “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some.” Sadly, many of us have been “blinded by good intentions.” We say things like, “But we’re spending time together as a family,” as if time spent together as a family trumps our relationship with God.
Now, folk, listen. I’m not talking about having some legalistic attitude about church…but I am terribly concerned with what I see in today’s culture where Sundays are no longer a day of worship. Sundays have become one of the biggest recreation days on the calendar…and many of our church families will trade worship for amusement in a heartbeat…and feel completely justified about it because they’re doing it as a family.
But when we put family above God in our lives, we’re guilty of idolatry…even the sub
tle idolatry of family! Listen, don’t get me wrong—I love my family. I would give my life for my family. I treasure time with my family. But a Christ-centered, kingdom-focused family does not devalue God in their hearts and their home!
Let me shift gears for a moment as I seek to land this plane. Perhaps some of you who read this blog are facing hostility from your family because you’re a believer. And as much as that hurts your heart, Jesus’ words in Mark 3 teach you that you are part of a spiritual family that transcends time. That’s not to say that you should love your earthly family any less or that you should stop praying for their salvation. It means, though, that you are not alone. The Bible calls God our Father and Jesus our Brother and Savior. We have a true and eternal family through Christ! Don’t grow weak in your faith because of family pressures. God will honor your obedience!
I love the story that Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, has told from his own personal experience. When he was in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized.
During the service, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. And so he asked the pastor about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized and told Denison, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.”
FOLK, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…REALIZING WHO HAS THE GREATER CLAIM ON OUR LIVES.
I’m reminded of the man who asked a mail-order company to send him a kit to build a birdhouse. Instead of sending him the plans for a birdhouse, they sent him plans for a sailboat. He had the parts for a birdhouse but the plans for a sailboat. He tried to put it together, but it just wouldn't work. So he sent the parts and plans back to the company with a letter explaining his frustration. They wrote a letter of apology and added this post script: “If you think it was difficult for you, you should have seen the man who got your plans trying to make a sailboat out of a birdhouse!”
A lot of people are trying to do family well, but they’re using the wrong instructions…they’re not using God’s plan…they don’t have God’s priority. And no amount of sincerity or effort is going to ease their frustration. People leave God—especially the supremacy of God—out of their lives and then are surprised at the results!
Adiuva nos Deus!
We’ve moved from being families that pray together to being families that play together! If Sunday sporting events or weekend getaways take priority over being in church, maybe we need to take another look at our priorities! No matter how we try to explain it or justify it, it’s hard to get around Hebrews 10:25 that talks about “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some.” Sadly, many of us have been “blinded by good intentions.” We say things like, “But we’re spending time together as a family,” as if time spent together as a family trumps our relationship with God.
Now, folk, listen. I’m not talking about having some legalistic attitude about church…but I am terribly concerned with what I see in today’s culture where Sundays are no longer a day of worship. Sundays have become one of the biggest recreation days on the calendar…and many of our church families will trade worship for amusement in a heartbeat…and feel completely justified about it because they’re doing it as a family.
But when we put family above God in our lives, we’re guilty of idolatry…even the sub
tle idolatry of family! Listen, don’t get me wrong—I love my family. I would give my life for my family. I treasure time with my family. But a Christ-centered, kingdom-focused family does not devalue God in their hearts and their home!Let me shift gears for a moment as I seek to land this plane. Perhaps some of you who read this blog are facing hostility from your family because you’re a believer. And as much as that hurts your heart, Jesus’ words in Mark 3 teach you that you are part of a spiritual family that transcends time. That’s not to say that you should love your earthly family any less or that you should stop praying for their salvation. It means, though, that you are not alone. The Bible calls God our Father and Jesus our Brother and Savior. We have a true and eternal family through Christ! Don’t grow weak in your faith because of family pressures. God will honor your obedience!
I love the story that Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, has told from his own personal experience. When he was in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized.
During the service, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. And so he asked the pastor about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized and told Denison, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.”
FOLK, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…REALIZING WHO HAS THE GREATER CLAIM ON OUR LIVES.
I’m reminded of the man who asked a mail-order company to send him a kit to build a birdhouse. Instead of sending him the plans for a birdhouse, they sent him plans for a sailboat. He had the parts for a birdhouse but the plans for a sailboat. He tried to put it together, but it just wouldn't work. So he sent the parts and plans back to the company with a letter explaining his frustration. They wrote a letter of apology and added this post script: “If you think it was difficult for you, you should have seen the man who got your plans trying to make a sailboat out of a birdhouse!”
A lot of people are trying to do family well, but they’re using the wrong instructions…they’re not using God’s plan…they don’t have God’s priority. And no amount of sincerity or effort is going to ease their frustration. People leave God—especially the supremacy of God—out of their lives and then are surprised at the results!
Adiuva nos Deus!
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