Reading your Bible for today 22

May 22: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

KJV Key Verse: 1 Timothy 3:4
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

Devotion:
Have you ever thought of what your family is like in the sight of God? I'm not talking about whether you think various members of your family are good Christians or not... but rather something along the lines of – what is a family in God's sight? When we think of a family, we may think of a 'safe' place where we are able to do what we do without fear of those around being upset or being offended. We may think of it as a place where we can feel loved even if everything else around is breaking up. We may think of a place where we can gain support from others without having to ask for it.

One definition of a family could be “a group of people linked by blood, adoption or marriage”. God has ordained the family as the basic institution of civilization. When he placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He did so with the knowledge that they would do things together. When society continued to reject God and break down, He chose a complete family unit to restart with. He chose Noah and all his family.

A family is a group which has a head, spouse and children. God expects the head of the household to be able to control their children; not by bullying, but through subjection with gravity. This means children should be obedient to their parents, not through any other means than through wanting to; but not just wanting to, but wanting to with lustre. Children should want to obey because they need to obey.

Equally parents should show their children that doing the right thing leads to a family which cares for each other. Without that love and care from all sides in a family, how are those family members supposed to start to think about loving and caring for others outside of their family! The basic institution of the family is the building blocks of the church. Loving one another will allow us to see what the needs are of others outside the family – that way we can widen our family!

Points to Ponder:
How do you treat your parents & How would you want them to treat you?

How do you treat God & How would you want Him to treat you?