The Earthly Family According to God

We are God's Children. We belong to the Family of God. We also have an Earthly Family. As with all things, God tells us the best way we should be, as an Earthly Family.

We talked about this briefly in the study of the Forgotten Laws of God, The Ten Commandments. It is the fifth Commandment, and the first with Promise..

Exodus 20:

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

We talked about God's plan for the Family. We are born, learn and grow, leave our Father and Mother, come together and Marry, becoming one. God's plan for us is that as Parents, you take care of your children, raising them in the ways they should go, and then later in life, if needed, your children should be able, and willing, to care for you.

However, this is one of those teachings that have been twisted, manipulated, and even forsaken, by some Churches. It is also not necessarily Politically Correct. That doesn't change the fact that God has a very clear plan for our Earthly Family. In...

Ephesians 5:

20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Now here is the first bone of contention by some. They say that this means that women should be subservient. That if her Husband was to become abusive. Tough. If her Husband cheats on her. Too bad. That she must be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, hanging on every command from her Husband.

That is simply not the case. They fail to continue on reading.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

First, let's leave aside the fact that God says we become one flesh. Which means we are equal. God tells us that Man ought to love their Wives as Jesus loved the Church and died for it. Jesus would do anything He was able to do for the Church. As we, {Speaking to the men} should towards our own Wives.

What God also says about men is that WE are responsible for the Family. We are responsible for going before God, and seeking His Will and His Way for us. Then going back and teaching the Family what God teaches us. We are responsible for meeting the needs of our Family. We are responsible for all things. Being a Husband and Father is not something that should be taken lightly. It is an Honor and great responsibility.

Continuing in...

Ephesians 6:

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Does this mean that children must allow themselves to be abused? God forbid. Does it mean that Parents can abuse their children? Of course not. However, Parents should be raising their children in the Ways of the Lord.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

In reference to the Ten Commandments...

Deuteronomy 6:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Deuteronomy 11:

19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

In reference to the ways of God...

Psalm 34:

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psalm 132:

12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

God calls for Parents to correct them when needed. Yes, that includes Corporal punishment.

Proverbs 22:

15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Proverbs 29:15

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

You see, true education should always be from the home. Parents, you are raising your children. They will go out into the world and learn things of the world. They must have a strong foundation, so that they are not lead astray. So that they will not be lead into sins.

Proverbs 22:

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Again, this is not saying that it is OK to beat your child. It is not saying that it is OK for Husbands to abuse their Wives. God IS Love. God wants us to Love our families the way God loves us. Remember....

1 Corinthians 13:

4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; Love envieth not; Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Love never faileth:

Jesus told us we can sum up all the Commandments of God in two. "Have no other God before God, and love they neighbor as thyself."

In an ideal world, the Man, Husband, should be the one going out into the world and providing for the Family. The Wife, should be staying home, caring for the house and raising the Children. The Children should be allowed to be Children. Growing, playing, learning.

I understand we do not live in a perfect, nor ideal world. Today, most of the time, both Parents need to go out and work. This puts a strain on the Family unit. We have turned over the education of our Children to others. Then, on top of that, we have even removed God out of the entire system. We have created dumping grounds for our old, and forsaken God's plan for our Family. Then we wonder why our Divorce Rate is rising. We wonder why our single Family homes are increasing in numbers as well. We wonder why Youth Crime is raising, and why our teen suicide rate is skyrocketing. 

As with all things, if we would only follow God's plan, we would be so much happier. Our lives would be so much easier. We would have so much more peace.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? Do you want God to be with you and your Earthly Family? Say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now you need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}I'll leave you with this thought. Found in...

Titus 2:

1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;

10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Live for God. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Both in your Earthly Family, and in the world. Be a living example of the Love of God which is shown through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Keep in mind, our Children learn far more from us, by watching us what we do, than hearing us, what we say. Be the Family God wants us to be. Both Earthly and in Spirit. We ARE the Family of God.

Until next time, be blessed, and Jesus IS Lord!