Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- June 15, 2010
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
What does it mean to be the spiritual leader of my home? Do I have to reach a level of spiritual maturity before I qualify? If my wife is more spiritual than me, shouldn’t she be the spiritual leader? Spiritual leadership is determined by position, not knowledge. God places a man in the role of spiritual leader to lead his wife and children in faith.
Our wife and children may know more of the Bible, but the Lord still holds us responsible for their spiritual well being. So as a husband and a father we have to ask ourselves, “What are we doing to lead our family spiritually?” This non-optional assignment from Almighty God forces us into faith-based behavior. We want to model daily time in Bible reading and prayer. Spiritual leaders show the way in knowing God.
“The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family” (Acts 16:34).
Spiritual leadership does not require a graduate degree in theology, but it does require a degree of planning and preparation. Spiritual leaders create a prayerful plan of intentional actions that expose their family to faith opportunities. You spend time looking for houses of worship that meet the needs of your wife and child, much like you would want them to live in the right home or attend the right school. Spiritual leadership seeks out a church.
“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool“ (Psalm 132:7).
Men who make it a big deal to lead their family spiritually make the most difference at home and in the community. Your investment in family Bible study, your example of faith under fire, and your Christ-like character are living testaments to the truth of God.
Talk about the Lord when you linger in traffic with your children, pray with them when they are fearful and upset, hold your wife’s hand and listen to her heart, sign up for the next marriage retreat and serve others unselfishly. You can’t control the culture, but you and your house you can serve the Lord. Spiritual leaders lead their family to love God.
“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:23-24).
How can I take responsibility to lead my family spiritually? How can I leave a legacy for the Lord?
Related Readings: 2 Samuel 12:20; Psalm 100:4; Acts 18:7; 2 Timothy 1:16
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We live in a mixed christian- pagan society that is becoming more secularized and seeking it’s ungoldly roots instead of serving God.
Joshua seems to point to a “competition” for the hearts and minds of IsraEl that correlates to modern day churches and assemblies. With this said, it makes it very difficult to acheive a home that serves God as the family when their faith is under fire from the same evil forces of ancient times.
Marriages today are under assault from competing relationships such as career identity, outside friendships, and counter culture gender education, and stress factors. Many American young women are not taught to be submissive to men anymore. Scriptures like 1 PETER 3 CH & Ephesians 5:23-24 cause inner conflict and inspire power struggle to those not conformed to the biblical image of marriage.
Many men are not taught to be biblically responsible for children, their finances, nor how to deal with women’s issues correctly. Therefore, it can lead to spiritual negligance and abuse. In esscence, the couple is being destroyed from hedonistic values learned as a norm and practiced as a syncrenized faith with their Christianity.
One should not make a covenant of christian relationship before God’s presence, then later cry out in pain for the “secular legal system and values” to save them from their roles made clear by God’s word. Spritual authority of men is often mis-stranslanted as “controlling behavior”. If husband sins, he may be opening up a loop hole for his authority to be willingly usurped and evil forces to attack his family.
Before and after a Christian gets married, they should do checks to ascertain what their spouse and children beleive and are practicing because of strong influences of pagan society. Bad company corrupts morals. They should also visit their family at school and work. Too many times “family ties end” when people are away from home. Work, school, and other relations are being set up to “compete” with the Christian family’s covenant.
I agree whole heartly with this blog about the things a spritual leader should do to protect their family integrity before Jesus.