Skip to main content

Family First?

    With Father's Day coming up tomorrow and Mother's Day only a short time ago, we are in a season where America honors their families. Most of us are taught that "family is everything" for our whole lives. Family first, then everything else. Where does Jesus fall in your list of priorities? Is He after the "family first" doctrine? Maybe he's even after your friends, your job, and some other important things in your life.

    I want to address the lie that family is everything. Jesus Himself put His Heavenly Father above all else, not His earthly father. We should be doing the same. We subject our lives to be run by whatever is most important to us. Whatever is most important to us controls us. When we put ourselves under the control of other flawed humans, we set ourselves up for a less than ideal lifestyle. We cannot live according to the whims of those around us!

2 Peter 2:19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. (NLT)

    Having Jesus first in your life means choosing to follow everything good for your life. He is never changing and will always stay true to His perfect character. His will for you is to have a wonderful and joyful life in Him. Who better to follow than the one who created you to begin with? Don't get me wrong, family is wonderful! Jesus blessed you with your specific family for a reason. We are to love, respect, and cherish them. However, anything put above God is extremely harmful to us.

Malachi 3:6 I the Lord do not change. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. (ESV)

Psalm 31:19 How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. (NLT)

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)

    Do not let the world tell you what is most important, but allow Jesus to dictate what is good for your life. I promise you He will not let you down. I will leave you with His own words about family.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (ESV)

Luke 8:19-21 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (ESV)

Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (NIV)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

He Time

     We have now gone over me time and we time, so today I want to address He time. It's a pretty simple concept-- that we have to spend time with Jesus to grow our faith. Just like anything else we want to get better at, you have to spend time doing it. In the case of Christianity, we are changed into the image of Jesus as we spend time with Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)     My message is as simple as this-- make sure that you are setting time aside for Christ. You will never change if you don't continually immerse yourself into His presence. We need to be spending time in His word so we know His promises and guidelines for our life, in prayer to speak to Him for individual direction in our circumstances, and worshipping Him for His goodness.     Do not le...

Here's to New Beginnings!

    As 2014 begins, with it comes talk of a fresh start and new beginnings. Resolutions are made to eat healthier, save money, travel, learn a new skill etc. But as Christ followers, the new year is always a good reminder of who we are in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. (HCSB) Galatians 2:20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (HCSB) Ephesians 4:22-24 You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. (HCSB) Galatians 5:24-25 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let...

Knock-Knock

Revelation 3:20   Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (ESV)     When you think of a gentleman what comes to mind? A man who holds open doors, pulls out your chair, and helps you with your coat? Whatever your definition is, one thing I think we can agree on is that a gentleman is never pushy. He is "gentle" and meek, respecting all those around him. To me, Jesus is the perfect example of a gentleman.     A gentleman never pushes for his way, but respects your thoughts and opinions even if they disagree with his own. But that doesn't mean that he lets his own beliefs fall to the wayside because of what you believe. Does that not describe Jesus? He waits for us to make our choices, but remains the same perfect, faithful and unchanging God. We were always created to have free will. We have a choice to have a relationship with Jesus, or not. To sin, or not. To...