Tuesday, October 19, 2010
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Proverbs 30-31 & 2 Corinthians 13
THANKFUL SUBMISSION – Submission to the Family
SCRIPTURE READING
1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV); “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
The church does well in seeing the potential of children and youth. We cling to the principle that young people can and do make a difference. We also understand that youth in this day and age are encouraged to rebel and we therefore work to train children in truth and godliness. However, in the hustled pace of a technologically savvy generation, we tend to leave the past in the dust, along with its residents, forgetting the backs upon which our society was built! The Israelites were supposed to continually reflect upon the past so that they would not forget from Whom their deliverance came. The same is true for us, and in that, we are to care for those who came before us. We tend to see “honor thy father and mother” as a Sunday school lesson, when the commandment – along with the other 9 – was meant for all people, including adults! God does not waste His words, so when He tells us that neglecting a family member is worse than being an unbeliever, He is not just spewing words for shock value!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
1. Meditate on Ephesians 6:1-3 & 1 Timothy 5:1-8. What does the Holy Spirit want to say to you out of these passages?2. Consider how you talk about your parents to your friends or to your children. How have you not showed them love and respect?
3. Spend some time reflecting upon your family. Ask the Holy Spirit how God wants you to be thankful for your upbringing. This does not mean to be thankful for ungodly acts that may have taken place in your home, but how does God want you to be thankful in what He has done IN SPITE of things that may have happened to you?
4. If you’ve suffered great injustice in regards to your family, what does God want to say to you about forgiveness and submission?
