FRIDAY 11 February 2022 “FAMILY” Deuteronomy 6:7

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Good Friday morning to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,

When you hear the word “FAMILY” I wonder what comes to your mind? How many generations do you think of when you hear the word “FAMILY”? Is there a place or a home or a group of special people which you think of when you hear the word “FAMILY”? Sadly, as you probably know, that word “FAMILY” awakens great pain in the hearts of millions of people who do not have happy, healthy families now. Also, millions of adults around the world live with deep wounds as they remember the dysfunction of their childhood families. Now why would I begin today with a focus on the word ‘FAMILY’?

We’re with Moses in our journey these days, and he is making his farewell messages to the next generation of Israelites before they cross the Jordan river and move into the land of God’s promise. Do you remember God gave them a city plan so they camped as families and tribes? We’ve arrived at Deuteronomy 6 and yesterday we looked at what is known to Jews as ‘the Shema’. “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:4,5) It’s a statement of singular, uniqueness of the God of the Hebrews. While other nations worship many gods, the Israelites were told by God that He alone is God, (Is. 45:18,19) there is no other Creator, Almighty God, and thus He alone should be worshiped. God also told the Israelites that their love for Him should be intentional and the priority of their heart and soul. This was more than just a spiritual statement, this was a call to a God honoring lifestyle with God at the center of life, just as the “Tent of Meeting” was at the center of their traveling city, and the cloud of God’s Presence hovered over them as a people of God.

Next Moses described for the people HOW to nurture children in this lifestyle so when they became adults and formed their own families, they would sustain this ‘God at the center of life’ society and lifestyle. Moses said: “These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.” We understand that, don’t we, my friends? The things that we love, the things we prioritize, the things we value greatly, are things our hearts admire and desire. We pursue them and they hold a high priority place in our lives, right? So Moses is challenging the people to admire, embrace, place a high personal priority on the commands of God for if they do that, these commands will serve as guard rails along the road of life they travel. So I ask you my friends… are the commands, the truths of God, a priority in your heart? Do you treasure them and seek to honor them with your life? Remember Jesus said ““Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:23)

Next Moses gave parents a profound model for building families that will create a fertile environment for children to learn and grow up to be God honoring adults. Look at Deuteronomy 6:7. This may be one of the most important verses in the entire Bible: “Impress them [God’s commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Have you given serious consideration to God’s design for FAMILY? Children ONLY come into existence with the unity of a man, and a woman, and God. And by God’s design that man and woman are married to each other, with a deep commitment to God, and to each other, for building a God honoring family which will endure for their lifetimes. Anything other than that is a distortion of God’s design for how children are conceived and the environment (family) into which they are born and raised. You might want to ponder that for a moment.

This is a cornerstone, foundational truth upon which any healthy society is built. In fact the entire human race is built on this God design for family. Sadly, as you and I look around our world today, no matter where you live, a very large percentage of children DO NOT live in families which fit with this simple yet profound God design for Family. Too many children live in ‘blended’ families, or single parent families, or same gender parent families, or absentee parent families, or foster families or no family at all! Some of these are attempts to provide safer homes for children being wounded by their family dysfunction. But here’s why family by God’s design is so important: God has designed children to NEED a safe, loving environment in which to survive infancy since babies cannot do anything to care for themselves. Babies are little human beings who need LOVE, and very early on a baby can discern if the adults around them love them, or not.

Fairly quickly babies become interactive infants and they can discern if their ‘home’ is a safe place, a place which loves and cares for them, a place which takes seriously the privilege and the responsibility of nurturing a little human life. Soon those infants become children and before long pre-teens and then teenagers and soon young adults ready to build their own families and homes. That growing up process is God’s design for human development, and God’s design requires a God honoring, nurturing environment called a God honoring family. Father and Mother are equally important in this God design for “family” because both are essential in God’s design for nurturing, mentoring, teaching, loving, raising children from babies to healthy, wise, God honoring adulthood. Do you understand God’s design for family, my friends?

We must understand the family and its home is the primary spiritual battleground on our planet. The dark kingdom led by Satan and all his demons, are determined to destroy or at least profoundly distort God’s design for family and home. Why? Because children who are wounded emotionally by their own family or childhood home, grow up to be deeply wounded and often dysfunctional adults, incapable of building a God honoring family and home, unless a miracle of God heals those child wounds. Satan and his demons are determined to do all they can to bring as much pain into the life of every human being as possible.

Satan hates God, and God’s love for humanity, and God’s design for happy, healthy, vibrant, safe, loving families, which will raise up God loving children, who will then be God loving adults, who will reproduce those wonderful God honoring families. Do you see the battle for the family all around our world? May I ask, how does the picture of Deuteronomy 6:7 match with the family home in which you were a child? And if you are a parent or grandparent, how does this powerful verse match with the family environment you have provided your children or grandchildren?

Let’s look at Deuteronomy 6:7 phrase by phrase, because it’s so important… “Impress [God’s commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road…” So, what percentage of the talking done in your family was God related conversation? How often is or was the conversation in your family the parents instructing children on the importance and truth of God’s Word, the Bible, and especially the guidelines God gives for living God honoring lives? Sadly, since the 1950’s entertainment screens have largely replaced time for conversation in the family, isn’t that true? You’ve heard the statistics. Children and teens spend far, far more time interacting with video screens of all types than with each other or their parents. And what do you believe are the effects of this reality on relationships, self esteem, communication capability, knowledge of God etc.? What can you and I do about this problem in our homes, especially when children or grandchildren are present?

That little phrase “when you walk along the road” doesn’t really fit too much in our day, in most developed countries does it? So how about this “when you travel from one place to another”? That is usually automobile or mass transit, right? And do you notice earphones and cell phones are entertaining almost everyone, again without any conversation or relationship building happening, as they travel from place to place in our day? Do you see the danger to families and societies my friends? Once again, what can you and I do about this problem when we travel, especially if we are traveling WITH another person? You and I live in a very mobile world. What changes can we make to use TRAVEL as children inspiring and instructing time?

I wonder if Moses paused right there? It was time for them to ponder, just as it’s time for you and me to ponder these very important, life shaping, family shaping truths. And as I often do… I’m offering you a song to help with reflection, but this time the author of the song Brian Doerksen, gives us some insight into what was happening in his life when God gave him this very special song…

Today’s Scripture is Deuteronomy 6:7.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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