Family and Ministry

"So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand." -Exodus 4.20

Moses is finally on his way to Egypt, but he isn't headed there alone. He takes his wife and his sons. He doesn't leave his family behind as he goes off on a mission, but he takes them with him. He takes his wife so that he can continue to provide for and protect her. He takes his sons so that he can continue to teach and guide them. He doesn't neglect his family for the work of God.

Men, too many have made this mistake. They put the work of the Church before their families. They invest their lives in strangers while their wives are lonely and their children drift away from God. They gain the church at the expense of their families, are you willing to pay that price? One day you will have to stand before God and give an account for the husband and the father you were, do you want to have to explain to Him why you ignored them as they cried out to you?

The work of God is why we are here. Loving our wives and children, and guiding them in the paths of righteousness, is our primary work of God. They are our primary ministry, and we cannot neglect them. And it is crucial for our families to see that though they are vitally important to us, our lives are caught up in something bigger. Our wives need to see us passionately following God and fighting for His kingdom. The warrior is who they fell in love with, and the warrior fighting for the kingdom of God is trained and ready to fight for her heart. Our children need to know, that though they are our most precious possessions, they are not the center of our universe. They need to see that our lives revolve around God. They need to see us in action, battling evil and standing for truth.

Moses gave his family that chance. He took them with him. He was a warrior for God, and a husband and father. IF God has blessed you with a family, don't neglect them, and don't idolize them. Serve God and serve your family. Family and ministry, we have both to do, so let's do them well.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

What Could Have Been

"Now these are the records of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; also Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush and Jalam and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. Then Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all his household, and his livestock and all his cattle and all his goods which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to another land away from his brother Jacob. For their property had become too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could not sustain them because of their livestock. So Esau lived in the hill country of Seir; Esau is Edom." -Genesis 36.1-8

Genesis 36 gives the account of Isaac's other son. His family became a great nation, so great that he moved east because he and his brother were both heads of large families and the land could not support all that they had. The brothers part ways, on better terms this time, but the family of Israel takes center stage. We find references to Edom throughout the Old Testament, but this is not the story of the Edomites. But really, it could have been.

Jacob tricked Esau out of his birth right, and then stole his blessing. He stepped in and took over the covenant. He became Israel, and the Bible tells the story of his children. But Jacob was the youngest. Everything he received was meant for his older brother. And you have to wonder, what would have been?

Men, in our lives there are things that could have happened. For one reason or another they didn't unfold that way. I mentioned some of the things that my family history involves in a recent post, and all of those events have led me to where I am now. There have been times I've wondered what life would be like if it wasn't for that initial abandonment and adultery. I wonder if my family could have been like Israel, one with a story worth telling that changes the world. But with everything that's happened, I feel more like the Edomites, lost in the shuffle, and fading into the background in insignificance.

Before we act, let's think about what the long term consequences could be. Let's think about all that we could be giving up, and all that we could be costing our family in the future. Will your actions help bring about a great story that changes the world? Or will they cause your family to sink into obscurity? Do you want them to look back and wonder what could have been? Or to proudly share the story of what was, and is?

You play a huge part in what happens, will it be what is, or what could have been?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Standard of Righteousness

"Then God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.' So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.' So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem." -Genesis 35.1-4

Jacob has been on a journey of growth. He was sent from his home to a foreign land and there learned to work. He traveled back when God told him to return home and after wrestling with God, learned to face his fear. Genesis 34 we see him largely passive and inactive, but here in the beginning of chapter 35 we see another change. God gives him instructions, and Jacob follows them.

Think back to Genesis 31, before leaving Laban, Rachel takes the idols from her father's house. Idol worship was a practice that they had grown up with, and to some extent it was practiced within Jacob's household. If it wasn't he wouldn't have had to tell them to put away their foreign gods. Jacob knew the promises that God had made him, and yet he hasn't led his family in whole hearted worship and service to God. He has allowed them to do their own thing.

Maybe this is part of the reason for his sons actions in chapter 34. Maybe Jacob did try to handle the situation correctly, we aren't told what he did. But maybe he had allowed his children too much freedom and they weren't used to their father telling them what to do. But here we finally see Jacob begin to point his family to God, and begin to set the rule for the one his family will worship and serve.

Men, you have a huge influence on the spiritual decisions your children make. Statistics show that children attending church is astronomically higher if dad makes it a priority for the family to go. If he's absent the number drops quickly. God has put you in your family to lead them to Him. Your children are not yours, they are His, and He has lovingly entrusted them to you. It is your job to love them, protect them, and point them back to Him, their true father.

Men, you are responsible for the things that go on in your household. You are to set a standard of righteousness for them to follow. You are to live with a love and passion for God and the way of holiness, and teach this same love to your children. You are to set their feet on the path of righteousness and help them follow God. If you don't then you leave them to their own idols and have failed them.

Men, it is up to you to set the standard of righteousness for your household to follow. Don't fail them.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Lead Your Household

"She said, 'Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.' So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, 'God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.' Therefore she named him Dan. Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. So Rachel said, 'With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.' And she named him Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, 'How fortunate!' So she named him Gad. Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, 'Happy am I! For women will call me happy.' So she named him Asher. Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.' But she said to her, 'Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?' So Rachel said, 'Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.' When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.' So he lay with her that night." -Genesis 30.3-16

In this first part of Genesis 30 we see family drama. There is the wife giving that we saw with Abraham, and the favoritism we found with Isaac. But what seems to be unique to Jacob is his absence in all of the decision making. His two wives are dictating what he'll do, who he'll be with each night, and even what his son's names will be (more on this later). Jacob is not leading his household as he should be.

Men, we are to be the head of our household. It is our role that God created us for. We are to be protector and provider. We've already looked at how we are to spiritually lead them back with Lot, but this goes beyond that. Fortunately, in America we don't have the issue of polygamy, that would have solved many of Jacob's issues right there, but the man is still the head of the household.

Ephesians 5 says that wives are to be subject to their own husbands. Ephesians 6 says that children are to obey their parents. There is a God created system of leadership that when executed correctly works. This is not saying that men are the only ones in the family with a valid point of view or opinion. But I have to state this because I'm reading a book that points out how today when we say something positive about masculinity it gets turned into saying something negative about femininity. Men talk with your wives and your children. Involve them in the decision making process, but ultimately you are the leader, and you are responsible for leading your household.

Do you want the drama that Jacob had? Then take your role seriously. Lead your household.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor