LASTING LIFE OF LOVE

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Greetings to you in the Name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the good Lord be with you throughout this month and bless you. “For He strengthens the bars of your gates; He blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; He fills you with the finest of the wheat” Psalm 147:13, 14.

A few days back, an young man rang me up for counseling and he started crying over the phone and he said, “She wants a divorce from me, Uncle. Her mother is adamant that she should leave me immediately. I love her and I do not know what to do”. They are married for exactly 2 months. Problems are mounting in families. Lots of families come to Shalom for counseling. Why such things happen in Christian families? Probably Biblical values are lost in families? It is high time we parents do something to save our children. Main reason for this is, I think, our children do not have “tolerance”.

But more than that, parents play a major role in separation of husband and wife. Mothers don’t want to teach their children about family values. In most of the cases that come for counseling, I can firmly tell that the girl’s mothers play a major role in encouraging their daughters to get separated. Most of us Christians have forgotten the commands in the Bible, which the LORD wants us to follow. In Mathew 19:5, 6, we read a command from Christ: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined inseparably to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The mothers do it, the fathers do it!

Why? The LORD tells Moses, “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear [and worship Me with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] and keep all My commandments always, so that it may go well with them and with their children forever!” (Deu.5:29), and in 6:6-7 says, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind. You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.”

THE THREE IMPORTANT FAMILY VALUES THAT PEOPLE MISS TODAY

1. WHAT PRACTICES DO JESUS’S FAMILIES OFTEN NEGLECT TODAY?
   1. Prayer before meals at home;
   2. Family Prayer
   3. Personal prayer and devotional times
   4. Weekly attendance in worship (church service)
   5. Fasting
2.  WHY DO PEOPLE NEGLECT THESE PRACTICES?
   1. Lack of time
   2. Don’t see the value
   3. Lack of communication
   4. Parents and children don’t attend the same church.
3. WHY ARE THE EFFORTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING NOT ALWAYS APPRECIATED BY OTHERS?
   1. Others don’t want to change?
   2. They ridicule because of their own guilt?
   3. Doctrinal differences in the family.

I want to place before you Moses’ family. Only two verses are given as an introduction about his parents. Exodus 2:1,2 → Now a man of the house of Levi [the priestly tribe] went and took as his wife a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was [especially] beautiful and healthy, she hid him for three months [to protect him from the Egyptians].Both his parents were from same tribe, the Levites. This tribe is a special tribe exclusively for God. In Leviticus, we read two important characters God expects from these Levites – 1. Holiness. This word appears in 87 places out of 859 words in this book. So this was a Godly family. 2. And the second one is, they lifted up the different offerings, which were a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord. In other words, they were a holy family for God and they were a praying family.

Now Pharaoh wanted all the male children of Israelites to be thrown into the river. But these parents hid their child for three months. Unlike others, they had faith in the God who gave the child. In verse 3and 4, we read: When she could no longer hide him, she got him a basket (chest) made of papyrus reeds and covered it with tar and pitch [making it waterproof]. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to find out what would happen to him. Now the mother Jochebed plans perfectly with faith makes a basket to carry the child. Instead of throwing the child into the river, she put the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. Perfect planning: For He has strengthened the bars of your gates He has blessed your children within you.” (Ps.147:13). In this planning, the parents included their children also. “His sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to find out what would happen to him.” (Vs.4). Jesus said, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

This perfect planning resulted in Moses, even after tasting the luxurious life in the palace, “[Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, because he preferred to endure the hardship of the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Heb. 11:24,25. This is a perfect Christian family. How about your family?

Prayer: Lord, make our families like Moses’ family and be a blessing. Speak to each one of us and give us a heart to follow your family values. Amen.