I am greatly burdened about the family. The direction we are heading today is total destruction. The divorce rate is as high as 57%. Some people think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but that is not true. The divorce rate for 2nd marriages is more than 75%. The results of not obeying God have been disastrous.
Let’s keep in mind that marriage was ordained by God; it was His idea. God brought the woman to Adam; therefore, we can rightly say that God performed the first marriage ceremony in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:28) In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus also added His blessing on marriage. Yet sadly, many end up in divorce.
Statistics now show that the number of children that grow up in a Christian home who are not saved, and eventually leave home unsaved, is up to 80%.
Finally, because churches are lacking strong families, the church is affected in a very negative way. Many couples who are divorced are now struggling in their next marriages. Many fathers and mothers are struggling with their children. The church has done a miserable job by simply entertaining children instead of teaching Fathers and Mothers to disciple their own children.
Today, the questions out there that many Christian fathers and mothers ask are this:
Is it even possible to have a Biblical, Godly family today in the times we live in?
The exciting news is yes!
You may be thinking or asking:
- How can I be a better husband / wife?
- How can I be a better father / mother?
- What can I do to have a more God honoring marriage?
- What can I do to better spiritually train my children?
The Bible has the answers for how to have a wonderful, God honoring marriage, and how to spiritually raise your children for the Lord.
The Bible also says that as Christians, we need to diligently study the Bible, the Word of God; both father’s and mother’s need to do this. It is also vitally important to apply it on a daily basis within the 4 walls of the home.
As Christian parents, we need to realize that we can’t give what we don’t have.
Therefore, if we don’t have a real, personal, and intimate relationship with God, then we can’t pass that on to our own children. We are to be the role models.
If we are not spending time with God in prayer, and in the Bible daily, and not applying it to our own lives, we cannot expect our children to do the same.
You see, God made children to be imitators, and the reason they turn out the way they do is because they are imitators of their parents. Children can tell what we value and what is important to us. If they don’t see dad and mom reading their Bibles and praying, then it’s not important to dad and mom. If we, as parents, are spending the majority of our day on social media, surfing the web, watching soap operas on TV, or watching sports, then we can’t expect them to pick up their Bibles either.
How do you strengthen and build up your family? Parents, you need to remember this: Children spell LOVE T — I — M — E. Yes, you must invest in each one of their lives which means spending time with them.
I read this quote by Dr.Terry Coomer http://hopebiblicalcounselingcenter.com awhile back which really sums this up well: “The goal of every Christian parent in life should not be to raise good kids, have students who are excelling academically, or even great athlete’s and so forth; the goal is to equip our children, these young saints, for the work of the ministry”.
As Christians, we all need to remember that our purpose in life is stated to us in 1 Corinthians 6:20:
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The truth is that we as Christians belong to God. We are His! We need to glorify God in everything we do especially in our own marriages, and in how we raise our children for the Lord.
“The nearest thing to heaven on this earth is the Christian family and the home where husband and wife, and parents and children, live in love and peace together for the Lord and for each other. The nearest thing to hell on earth is an ungodly home, broken by sin and iniquity, where parents bicker, quarrel and separate, and children are abandoned to the devil and all the forces of wickedness.”(the late Dr. M.R.DeHaan – Bible teacher and medical doctor)
As a Pastor, a husband of 21 years, and a father of 5 children that are all saved and serving the Lord, it is the desire of my wife and I, to help other Christian families have Christ-centered homes that are surrounded with security, peace, and love. We, at Saskatoon Baptist Church, want to help couples in their marriages, and teach parents how to Biblically disciple their children.
Pastor Carl Dornn