Christian Families Learn to Worship Jesus Together
When families worship together the
children have a better opportunity to learn what Christian faith
is all about. God has ordained that the older should teach
the younger, and parents are expected to be the leaders in
training children in spiritual things. Prayer, for example
is best taught at home, by Mom and Dad. A love for the
Scriptures is also best taught by parents and grandparents.
At church worship may tend to be
more ritualized by the habits and routines of a congregation and
its leaders. But at home, prayer and the singing of hymns
and spiritual songs, and the reading of the Bible can be enjoyed
in a more meaningful and practical setting. Children can
see the family at prayer, asking God for something specific and
important and immediate. And then they can watch as God
meets the need. They can then witness grateful hearts
giving thanks.
Following Jesus is not just
something that preachers do, or that families do in a church
setting. it is life lived in the heat of the day, in the
hour of crises, in the dreadful night of the storm. Living
for the Lord is all about facing the ordinary struggles of life
that all people must endure — with a faith in God's kindness
that is learned by trusting God time and again, and seeing Him
act.
Real families, healthy families will
worship together. Too many families in our time are
fractured, split apart by stressful schedules, meaningless
pursuits and a lack of understanding on the part of parents.
I know because i have been there, both as a child and as a
parent struggling in ignorance, trying to do all that had to be
done for my family. Most of us learn right away what
failure feels like, and how it leaves its mark on the children.
But life doesn't have to be that way.
God's promises are real and faithful
and true. We truly can depend on Him to lead us, to
provide for us, to guide us and to HELP us through the difficult
days (and months and years). If we will lead the way for
our children in such times, they will gain something more
valuable than money or land or possessions. Children who
are taught to trust God in the difficult days will gain a wisdom
and strength that the world, with all its false teachings,
struggles and chaos can never take away.
©2008 GospelGifs |
