The Perfect Family

The Perfect Family - Steps we can take to achieve.

Step 1 - Have children  (follows marriage - not precedes)

Gen. 1:28 - "be fruitful and multiply"
Psm. 127:3-5 - should view children as valuable, a blessing from God, the image of God to glorify Him.

Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (chap. 1) and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (chap. 9)

Example:  a college friend got the idea that to preserve the earth, we need to do away with ourselves in order to preserve the earth. But, the earth was created for us.  We should take care of it, but to think that we need to do away with ourselves and our children so that the earth can survive is not a Christian idea.

Children are the future, and the enemy understands that.  He wants your children.  Just watch commercials on TV and you tube videos if aren't sure of that.  

Step 2 - Pray for Those Children

It works.  James 5:16 - prayer of a righteous man has much power as it's working.
Pray often.  1 Thess. 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.
Example:  Grandma Hazel's funeral - lived to 103 - entire family in attendance all Christians.  She prayed constantly for her family.

Step 3 - Love & Encourage Those Children
Col. 3:21 - Kids don't need any help being discouraged.  The get beat down plenty at school, by their "friends".  We should do our best to encourage them - put courage into them.  They need to be built up at home, encouraged.  Pray they'll be strong and courageous, be confident. 
Sometimes they do need to be brought down a few notches or really put back on the right track.  Leads to step 4.

Step 4 - Discipline Those Children
If you don't, you literally hate your sons and daughters.  Prov. 13:24
You are setting your children up for a life of pain and hurt and disappointment if you don't set boundaries for them and enforce them.  Teach them right from wrong.  Teach them what God requires of them.
Prov. 29:15 - Discipline your children out of love, as God does with us.  

Step 5 - Train Those Children
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Eph. 6:4  Other translations:  exasperate - training and instruction
                                            provoke - nurture and admonition
We are to be correcting their behavior, of course, but we are also seeking to guide them and shape their minds, their understanding, their heart.   Don't just make them do the right thing.  Make them understand why it's the right thing. 

Train CONSTANTLY, and consistently!  Example:  boxers, fighters, soldiers.  they train so they will be ready when the real fight comes.  Are to be preparing children for a world that is trying to tear them down.
Is not something to be taken lightly, or take a break from.
Deut. 6:4-7
Always put it before them!  Always, always, always, be teaching and training and coaching and admonishing.  ALWAYS!!

Grandparents, you can get in on this as well and you should get in on this.  2 Tim.1:5
Example:  come over to Grandma's house for cookies and candy, and then when they put their guard down, you can hit them with a Sunday school lesson, too.
Never underestimate the power of Godly, praying grandparents.  Grandparents are dealing blows to the kingdom of darkness.  If Satan had a post office, there'd be a lot of grandmas and grandpas with worn out Bibles and coffee stained prayer lists on the most wanted wall.

But ---- this is a 2 way street.  Children, teens.  You are next. There are some things that God requires of you in this family deal. 
What can you do to be part of an amazing God-honoring family?

 FOR CHILDREN, TEENS

Step 1:  Heed your parents' instruction
Your obedience to your parents is an act of obedience to God.  In so doing you will also please your parents.  They will feel loved.
John 14:15 - If you love your parents, you will demonstrate that by your obedience to them.
Eph. 6:1-3
Believe it or not, your parents have some wisdom that they have learned through life experience. You can save yourself a lot of pain and heartache if you would listen to them and put these things into practice.
Also, when you honor them, it comes with a perk "that you may live long in the land" ... and the inverse of that is ... also probably true. 

If you have parents who have set rules for you and discipline you and take an interest in your life and your well-being, you are blessed!!  There are plenty of kids in the world who would love to have parents like that.  I've never known a mature adult worth their salt that looks back on their life and says, "man, I wish my parents would've let me get away with more" and "I wished I would've lived a little bit wilder when I was younger".  Be grateful for, and obey your parents.   Prov. 13:5

Step #2 - Honor your father and mother
This is still true for grown children with older or elderly parents.  We still need to honor them when we are grown.  Today, we are focusing more on children still at home.

So, how can you honor your father and mother?
      Attitude - how about - don't roll your eyes?
                             say   "Yes sir" and Yes ma'am"
                                     don't talk about how terrible they are to your friends - God sees and hears everything
                                     spend time with them
                                     have grace with them - even when they're weird
We are a unit, a team, working together for God's glory.  Let's make the team better.  Work together to glorify God as a family.

CHALLENGES:

Spend tech-free time together
Talk together
Pray together
Worship together
Work together - on a home project, etc.
Have fun together
Have grace for each other