Good morning, Five Minute Families! How has this week been treating you? Have you had a conversation (or two or ten) about your or another’s thoughts and feelings about the pandemic and all the changes that have happened? Did those discussions center on emotions or facts?
While our conversations about the pandemic mask-wearing and socially distancing may alternate between emotions and facts, if we engage in mentoring conversations with family members and biblical community members, we must remember that we are to counsel only from God’s Word, not our feelings about His Word. Now, that isn’t to say that we don’t recognize our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and explore them, but our decisions moving forward cannot be based on feelings. They must be rooted in God’s inerrant Word. When we caution one another faithfully towards maturity as encouraged in Colossians 3:16 and 1 Thessalonians 5:14, we make a greater positive impact in our homes and in our communities.
Five Minute Families, would you like to have and to know kids that have:
Heads full of knowledge,
Hearts full of passion,
And dedication to the mission of Christ?
What does that take?
First, it takes commitment. Parents must be committed to their children. The generations must be committed to providing their strengths to each other. We must all be committed to God’s story and to God’s glory.
Second, having heads full of knowledge, hearts full of passion, and a dedication to the mission of Christ takes communication. We must hide His Word in our hearts, telling our faith stories and struggles, and teaching the less mature, which includes not only our children but also our younger brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching them HOW to tell their own stories in light of God’s Truth.
Finally, we must remember that having heads full of knowledge, hearts full of passion, and a dedication to the mission of Christ takes community. We are not lone ranger Christians. We are collectively called saints. God speaks to the generations: not just our family, our small group, or even our church, but also the future generations to come. Our community is a greater vision than we can see. We struggle with the now, but we should also have concern for the future and remember the past. Joel 1:3 reminds us of sharing God’s story to the generations when it says, “Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.”
Let’s look at the advice Paul gives to his protégé Titus in Titus 2:1-8. A moment of context is necessary: Chapter 1 of Titus is a warning about false teachers – those who tickle ears but lead to destruction. We are to stand firm, call out, rebuke publicly. Back to Titus 2: “But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.”
Five Minute Families, moms and dads have a big role. You are often seen as being on the front lines. You have to deal with the technology struggles, the struggle of the world wanting to twist the family minds. And, parents need the help and encouragement from the biblical community. Now, older people, teach sound doctrine while leading a listening ear and practical advice. Disciple! Teach truth! Teach those stories of faith. Commitment, communication, community
Paul is encouraging us to pass along our faith and taking it seriously. We must remain committed to God and His kingdom; we must communicate His transforming grace into our community.
Let’s close with Psalm 78:4: “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Have a great week, and may God and bless and keep you!
