I was looking at this plaque the other night and thinking over what it means, and what God wants for a family. What it looks like to serve God as a family and maybe my day dream was a prayer because God brought to my mind
Me and my house
It starts first with you, me. Our quiet times come first. We have to make sure we are putting some time aside each day to spend time with God and then that will trickle down into our family.
Serving God as a family can start with reading a chapter in the Bible with your children when they wake up. Praying with your children after you read.
It could mean playing a worship song or two and dancing and singing with your kids.
It could be you pray before meals.
It could be you have a small devotional or read a chapter or a verse in the Bible before you eat dinner at night.
My kids are young so I've started reading their preschool Bible to them in the morning during breakfast time, we talk for a few minutes about what the chapter meant then we pray after we get done eating. I turn some worship music on while we clean the house and we pray before our meals.
I know this doesn't sound like much just yet but it's baby steps and my children act out the Bible stories in their play time, without my prompting. They also have conversations with the Holy Spirit in their play time too. I know they are understanding what I'm teaching them but it's more than just Bible reading.
It's also about teaching them thankfulness, and being helpers, and loving people. They watch so closely how we live, they don't know how to live for God so they need our help. They need our guidance. I believe God brings teachable moments to us each day. Moments where something happens, or our children ask us a question that God wants us to be proactive and teach them what He thinks, what He would do in that instance.
It's important to surround our children with Godly people, friends, influences in their life. We're fighting against the world to raise our children and it's a battle we're not fighting alone but it's a battle just the same.
So God wants you and your house to serve Him, to have a relationship with Him, to live for Him. Maybe you're living for Him, but what are you doing to be proactive in your children's lives to teach them how to do the same?
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, 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
This is great encouragement Mandy. We need to make a choice that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. We have a plaque purposely put above our tv that says "Christ is the head of this house." For so many the tv because the center of the house. It is the focal point of the room, the go to entertainment. But I want Christ to be the focal point in my home. I want Him to be the center. That comes with the choice to serve Him.
ReplyDeleteWe have prayer time before meals and before bed. The kids and I pray before school and we read scriptures and listen to worship music. But as you said, it also has to be our commitment to daily quiet times. That grows our own relationship but also teaches our children.
Great post.
I love this, Mandy! If we are going to serve the Lord, we must purpose in our hearts to do just that. Our flesh will rise up and want to go the other way. But we make the choice - daily - to serve the Lord. And we lead by our example. Great encouragement today!
ReplyDeleteGreat encouragement, Mandy! I love finding little ways to make sure I am helping lead my family in serving the Lord!
ReplyDeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteSo jealous that your husband makes plaques. Super cool, and it makes me wonder what I would put on mine!