Christ-like Love in the Family

Verse of the Week:

1 John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Christ-like Love in the Family 

Brian and I had the wonderful opportunity to dedicate our sweet baby boy, Brayden, to the Lord this past Sunday.  What pure joy it was to let people know that Brayden has and always will be in God's hands.  From the time he was conceived to now and forever, he was given to God by Brian and I, and I thank God each day for the opportunity to be his caretaker and teach him about our Savior. He was never mine and always God's.  What a huge job it is to teach Brayden about Jesus.  Most parents find the job overwhelming, but with Christ's help, it is possible to raise a child to love Jesus so much.  Once their children enter the world, many parents make their children number one in their lives.  Their children become the most important aspect of their lives, and parents strive to do all they can to raise them the best way possible.  While I know most parents intentions are good and pure, I feel that they create the possibility of hurting their families when they put their children first.   Who should be first?  I have always believed it should be in this order.
1. Love Christ 
2. Love your Spouse
3. Love your Children

Loving Christ is number one.  Christ is the glue to keeping families together.  If Christ is out of the picture, then the world's ideas take the place of His ideas. Christ himself said that the most important command is to love the Lord. Luke 10:27 says, 'He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" '  By loving and focusing on our relationship with Christ, it allows us act and do things the way Christ would want us to act.  We start to love our family with Christ-like love which is unselfish, patient, kind, forgiving, holding no grudges, not prideful, or easily angered (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).  When we pray and seek Christ first on how to deal with our children and spouse, it allows us to already start focusing on Him and seeking to do things and see things from His perspective as oppose to the world's perspective.  By allowing Christ to work in our lives, He allows us to grow in Him, and He molds us into the person He desires us to be, a reflection of Himself.  Focusing on our relationship with Christ allows our children to see a Christ-like example in their home.

1. Love Christ

Many couples tend to put their spouses last when children come into the picture.  They get caught up in taking care of their children, disciplining them, driving them to their activities, helping them with their homework, etc. that they neglect their spouse.  Here is something important. Children see God's love through how their parents love each other.  Actions speak louder than words. If you and your spouse have allowed anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, lack of self control, selfishness to enter your marriage, you are teaching your children that all of those things are permissible in whatever relationships they have  or will have whether it is with friends, spouses, or co-workers!  If we truly understand God's Grace and love and if Christ truly lives inside of us, there cannot be room in our spirit to hate our spouse. 1 John 4:19-20 says,  ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,cannot love God, whom they have not seen. God's love is amazing.***  Your children see Christ's love through how you love them and each other. You children have never seen God; so how are they going to learn of God's love?  1 John 4:11-12 says,   ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  Your children learn of God's love through your marriage. You and your spouse's marriage is a reflection of Christ's marriage to the church or Christians.   22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; (Ephesians 5:22-25)

2. Love your Spouse

Last but not least, love your children. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)  Discipline your children because you love them; encourage your children because you love them (1 Thessalonians 5:11), love Christ because you love them, love your spouse because you love them.  Love with the love of Christ. 

3. Love your Children

*** To learn more about Christ's love, read my blog entries called, "Going Crazy with the Law", "The Heart of God," or "Forgiveness."

*I will not be submitting a blog next week.  Feel free to look for a new blog entry in two more weeks!