continuation...
But there are brothers and sisters who do not care for each other. There are siblings who, because of money, parcels of land, and inheritance, bring each other to court. In our group, we do not let that thing happen. The brethren in the church are not supposed to bring each other to court; but most especially if you belong to the same family. If in a family of five exists divisiveness, how much more will you ever understand one another if there are already one hundred in the group. If understanding is not attained in a small group, much more in bigger groups? The family is a model of the church, because a church is considered a family, or a household, of God. Let us read I Timothy 3:15—
“But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The house of God is the church of God. A household is made up of members. Who comprises the household? Ephesians 2:19 says—
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints, and the household of God.”
The church is being considered as a “household of God”. And the brethren in the household of God should love another.
If there is one thing that I can brag about our group, it is about the love that our members have for each other. Our brethren do not bring each other to court. We do not allow that thing to happen. If the brethren in the flesh should care for each other, the more should the brethren in God do. That is why in our group, we do not let our less fortunate brother die of hunger in the streets. We look after them. That is a doctrine of Christ.
A household is parallel with the church; and the church is referred to as the household of God. The ruler of a household is likewise likened to a caretaker of the church. In I Timothy 3:5, it says—
“For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”
If a man does not have the capacity to manage his own household, how do you expect him to manage the church of God? Therefore, the ability to manage the church is manifested in the way a man manages his own home. This is the reason why the church is compared to a household. Both need a systematic management. And to attain that, the love of the family members for each other is a must. The parents should always keep a close tab of their children; they should find time for their children. Unfortunately, there are parents who do not have time for their children. Sometimes, they are not even aware that their children have been loitering in the streets. My heart breaks every time I see very young children selling sampaguita garlands in the streets. Some of them are begging for alms from passers-by. If I only have the money, I will adopt all of those children. How dare the parents of those children are letting those kids beg for alms? Apparently, the children are the ones working for their parents, which is contrary to what the Bible teaches. II Corinthians 12:14 says—
“… for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”
In other words, the parents are the ones who should support their children, and not the other way around. Actually, one particular church leader in Metro Manila sends his “children” out and let them beg, while he is inside his palace, simply waiting for their remittances. I even heard that a week is not enough to count his weekly collections. This is also true with the other pastor often seen in Quirino Grandstand (in Luneta Park). When he asked how much their collection in a given week was, he said that he didn’t know because they were not through yet counting their collection for the previous week. Can you imagine the huge amount of money that pastors make? They enrich themselves at the expense of their members.
In a household, especially in a household of God, it is not the children who are supposed to earn for their parents. The parents are the ones tasked to work and earn for their children. In the household of God, the responsibility is vested on the shoulders of the parents. It is the responsibility of the mother and the father to feed their children. However, the moment the children have grown old, the responsibility is transferred to the children. When that time comes, the children will now be tasked of looking after the needs of their parents. This will be their turn to show their indebtedness and gratitude to them.
In maintaining a family, you need to have love, care, and understanding. You need to be selfless. But of all these, the most important requisite is love because if there is love, all the rest follow. One song says, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Actually, you do not really have to say you are sorry because even before saying “sorry” you are readily forgiven. If only every family would possess the holy love, or agape, then, no problem would arise. Every time you are seduced by your pretty secretary, you would always be reminded of God’s commandment – love your wife. Do not show any interest in somebody else’s wife. The wife should do the same. Because you love your husband, you will never even entertain the idea of trying another man. Stick to each other. That should be your policy from the very beginning. Never play around! The moment you try playing around, there would be a big possibility that you’ll forget all about your wife. Later on, you’ll just find yourself doing this thing repeatedly. Before you knew it, you have already become a womanizer.
But if you love your family, you will stick to your wife. God has a promise to a family that dwells in love. Proverbs 3:33—
“The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.”
God promised to bless the house of the just, and curse the house of the wicked. Do you want to receive God’s blessings? Other people think that God’s blessings refer to material riches. That is not so! Even of you are short of finances, so long as you are leading a peaceful life; that is already a great blessing from God. A peaceful life is a lot better than riches. A house whose inhabitants live in peace is better than a mansion whose inhabitants aim a gun at each other.
The blessings of God will be given to a family who abides by what the Bible teaches. And when God blesses you, you will see that nobody among your children would give you any problem. Nobody would turn out to be a drug addict; nobody among them would be engaged in any trouble, like theft and rape; nobody would be a drunkard. Even if you are financially hard up, you will not experience any problem. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful life? It doesn’t matter if your pocket only has a ten-peso bill. There are people who have lots of money in their pocket but their lives are beleaguered by a number of court cases. The child is involved in drug trafficking; the wife has been caught committing adultery; the son was apprehended in a pot session, etc. Perhaps, if we would be in the same situation, we would even wish for death. It does not matter if you are poor, so long as your children love another, and all of them are God-fearing. God will surely bless your family. Nobody among the members of your family would be afflicted with serious ailments. Should one of them gets sick, would just be simple fever, toothache, headache. When God gives you His blessings, you’ll never want. You may be short of money, you may lack prestige, you may not have earned any college degree, but you have peace of mind and deep within you there is joy. This is how important the word of God is to a household. The word of God should be followed, and when you follow it, you are likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock. The flood came, a strong wind blew, but the house remained standing. If the word of God prevails in a household, that household would be indestructible. Nobody could break the family members apart, not even the gossip mongers, because it is built upon a rock, and the rock refers to the word of God.
It is always nice seeing a family attending a Christian gathering together. It is always nice to see a family whose members abide by the doctrines of God and of Christ.
We, the members of this congregation, are truly happy despite our lack of money. Many of us are poor; we do not live in cozy houses. However, we know how to help each other. If one group cleans our surroundings, the other group washes the dishes, etc. When visitors come, there is also another group that accommodates them. And they do those things voluntarily because they have seen for themselves how beautiful life is if it is spent in serving God and our fellowmen. And we are very proud of it. We hope that all of us learn how to smile to our fellows; let us give them a warm reception. Let us learn to love God because He created us all. And of course, let us love our family – our wife, our husband, and our children.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
How to keep a family intact part 2
continuation...
Nothing in this world stays permanently. Everything passes away. Beauty and earthly wisdom fade; lust and earthly love passes away. That is why, once the love of s husband for his wife fades, he begins to look for a more beautiful woman. After a while, he would tell his mistress to leave her husband and the two of them will live together instead. You see, that is very dangerous! Why? If that woman could afford to cheat her own husband, the more she could make a fool of you. If she finds a better-looking man, she’ll also drop you like a hot potato. There are women who are like that. But if you are wise, if you have a righteous mind, you will never give up your wife for the sake of a harlot. But these things happen because love is absent. But if you are bearing the love that is spoken in the Bible, that love will never fade. This is what I Corinthians 13:4-5 says—
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself.”
The family members should understand each other; nobody tries to outdo another. Nobody brags because love does not brag. If only all the members of the family would exercise humility, there wouldn’t be any trouble. Love “is not puffed up; love doth not behave itself unseemly.” The members of the family should respect one another’s right. Wouldn’t it be very nice if all the members of the family would learn to observe all these?
(I Co. 13:5) “… seeketh not her own …”
This verse is right precisely because you cannot find yourself in other people. Do not expect that other people will work the way you do. Do not expect that others can do things the way you do. If you do, you will only end up disappointed, or worse, angry. For this thing not to happen, let love live in your heart. Always remember, he is different, you are different. Perhaps, that is already the best that he could do. So, why be angry? If you love your fellow you will not be angry with him. You would be compassionate with him, instead. Let us continue I Corinthians 13:5-8—
“… is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things; endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away.”
This is the reason why in I Corinthians 13:13, St. Paul came up with this summary: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Among the three, charity, or love, is the greatest. Therefore, if love is present in a household, envy will not find its way, even if there are 13 children in the family. If the mother bought one of her children toy because he passed in school, the others would not be envious of him. They were also bought toys when they achieve something in school. Instead of being envious, the children will just share each other’s toys.
Most of the time, a child gets envious of his brothers and sisters who had been given a present by their parents. Envy is common among men. But the Bible had taught me that I should be happy instead if the others have the things which I do not have. Why should you be envious? Remember, you are the one who should be giving him of that thing, yet, somebody has done it for you. You have been spared of an obligation, so, why will you be envious? Envy will not do anybody good. A family can find peace when the siblings are not envious of each other. Love should bind the family members together. The admonition is, “. . . put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Do you know that the word “love” is very broad? Sometimes we even misunderstand it. What are we supposed to do if we love one another? What kind of love must we exercise? The love of a child for his parents is different from the love of a wife for her husband. Which love are we going to practice? Definitely, the love for a wife should not be rendered to your daughter. Otherwise, you might end up raping your daughter. And neither should the love for your wife be given to another woman. You would be an adulterer that way. And of course, the love of a child for his parents is another different matter.
However, the Bible speaks of a kind of love that is applicable to all. And this is the holy love, or agape. This is the love that Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
This is the kind of love that is void of hypocrisy. This love is not superficial. This is the love that is not easily provoked . . . this is not envious. It seeks not her own; it is selfless; it is forgiving and enduring. It believes all things, hopes all things, and bears all things. This is the holy love that the Bible teaches. And this is the kind of love that we should give to each other. If you possess this love, you will no longer be annoyed of your neighbors. You would even learn how to love your enemies. No members of the family would quarrel anymore. The husband would love no other woman but his wife, and the wife would not flirt with another man. The parents would love their children, and the children would love their parents in return. If this is the atmosphere that prevails in a family, there would practically be no room for strife. Let us read Christ’s admonition on how we should deal with our enemies. Matthew 5:44—
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
You are not just going to love your enemies, but you should also pray for them. Now, if you are being admonished to love your enemies, the more reason you have now to love your family. But you know, there are people who do not love their families. There are husbands who prefer spending time with their peers instead of their families. After working for the whole week, come pay day they are with their friends – drinking. When they go home, nothing is left of their pay. Apparently, they love their friends more than their family. A husband seems to have forgotten that his wife has long been waiting for his pay because she has to pay so many financial obligations. When her husband comes home drunk, a quarrel inevitably takes place. Hence, the solidarity of the family is threatened.
A husband who loves his wife would readily be worried if he comes home late. He is thinking if his wife is already hungry because they make it a point to eat supper together. That is why he is always in a hurry to come home. I’ve seen this practice from my own parents. My mother and my father always ate together. Actually, they never ate just the two of them. We always ate together, and my father always led the prayer before we start eating.
It is always nice that the whole family eat together. During mealtime, you could feel the love of the family for one another. This is one occasion when members of the family could help each other. One would set the table and the other would wash the dishes. That way, before going to sleep, no plate would be left unwashed in the lavatory. My mother hates leaving dirty plates in the lavatory. My grandmother, on the other hand, was very strict. She didn’t want to see a morsel of food wasted. She used to give us pinch that is equivalent to the number of morsels of food left on our plates.
Anybody who fully believes the doctrines of God could always apply those doctrines in his daily life. The siblings will learn to care for each other. It is but natural that siblings quarrel occasionally but no amount of quarrel could change the fact that they are brothers and sisters. There are couples who only have two children but despite that, these two still quarrel. I came from a big family. We are eight in the family, and I am the seventh. And I am truly thankful to God that until now our family has remained intact. What makes me happier is that all of them are with me in my service to God. Wherever I go, they are also there. This is the reason why I believe that, once a family possesses the kind of love that the Bible is teaching, that family will never fall apart. The husband and the wife will always help and support each other.
Nothing in this world stays permanently. Everything passes away. Beauty and earthly wisdom fade; lust and earthly love passes away. That is why, once the love of s husband for his wife fades, he begins to look for a more beautiful woman. After a while, he would tell his mistress to leave her husband and the two of them will live together instead. You see, that is very dangerous! Why? If that woman could afford to cheat her own husband, the more she could make a fool of you. If she finds a better-looking man, she’ll also drop you like a hot potato. There are women who are like that. But if you are wise, if you have a righteous mind, you will never give up your wife for the sake of a harlot. But these things happen because love is absent. But if you are bearing the love that is spoken in the Bible, that love will never fade. This is what I Corinthians 13:4-5 says—
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself.”
The family members should understand each other; nobody tries to outdo another. Nobody brags because love does not brag. If only all the members of the family would exercise humility, there wouldn’t be any trouble. Love “is not puffed up; love doth not behave itself unseemly.” The members of the family should respect one another’s right. Wouldn’t it be very nice if all the members of the family would learn to observe all these?
(I Co. 13:5) “… seeketh not her own …”
This verse is right precisely because you cannot find yourself in other people. Do not expect that other people will work the way you do. Do not expect that others can do things the way you do. If you do, you will only end up disappointed, or worse, angry. For this thing not to happen, let love live in your heart. Always remember, he is different, you are different. Perhaps, that is already the best that he could do. So, why be angry? If you love your fellow you will not be angry with him. You would be compassionate with him, instead. Let us continue I Corinthians 13:5-8—
“… is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things; endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away.”
This is the reason why in I Corinthians 13:13, St. Paul came up with this summary: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Among the three, charity, or love, is the greatest. Therefore, if love is present in a household, envy will not find its way, even if there are 13 children in the family. If the mother bought one of her children toy because he passed in school, the others would not be envious of him. They were also bought toys when they achieve something in school. Instead of being envious, the children will just share each other’s toys.
Most of the time, a child gets envious of his brothers and sisters who had been given a present by their parents. Envy is common among men. But the Bible had taught me that I should be happy instead if the others have the things which I do not have. Why should you be envious? Remember, you are the one who should be giving him of that thing, yet, somebody has done it for you. You have been spared of an obligation, so, why will you be envious? Envy will not do anybody good. A family can find peace when the siblings are not envious of each other. Love should bind the family members together. The admonition is, “. . . put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Do you know that the word “love” is very broad? Sometimes we even misunderstand it. What are we supposed to do if we love one another? What kind of love must we exercise? The love of a child for his parents is different from the love of a wife for her husband. Which love are we going to practice? Definitely, the love for a wife should not be rendered to your daughter. Otherwise, you might end up raping your daughter. And neither should the love for your wife be given to another woman. You would be an adulterer that way. And of course, the love of a child for his parents is another different matter.
However, the Bible speaks of a kind of love that is applicable to all. And this is the holy love, or agape. This is the love that Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
This is the kind of love that is void of hypocrisy. This love is not superficial. This is the love that is not easily provoked . . . this is not envious. It seeks not her own; it is selfless; it is forgiving and enduring. It believes all things, hopes all things, and bears all things. This is the holy love that the Bible teaches. And this is the kind of love that we should give to each other. If you possess this love, you will no longer be annoyed of your neighbors. You would even learn how to love your enemies. No members of the family would quarrel anymore. The husband would love no other woman but his wife, and the wife would not flirt with another man. The parents would love their children, and the children would love their parents in return. If this is the atmosphere that prevails in a family, there would practically be no room for strife. Let us read Christ’s admonition on how we should deal with our enemies. Matthew 5:44—
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
You are not just going to love your enemies, but you should also pray for them. Now, if you are being admonished to love your enemies, the more reason you have now to love your family. But you know, there are people who do not love their families. There are husbands who prefer spending time with their peers instead of their families. After working for the whole week, come pay day they are with their friends – drinking. When they go home, nothing is left of their pay. Apparently, they love their friends more than their family. A husband seems to have forgotten that his wife has long been waiting for his pay because she has to pay so many financial obligations. When her husband comes home drunk, a quarrel inevitably takes place. Hence, the solidarity of the family is threatened.
A husband who loves his wife would readily be worried if he comes home late. He is thinking if his wife is already hungry because they make it a point to eat supper together. That is why he is always in a hurry to come home. I’ve seen this practice from my own parents. My mother and my father always ate together. Actually, they never ate just the two of them. We always ate together, and my father always led the prayer before we start eating.
It is always nice that the whole family eat together. During mealtime, you could feel the love of the family for one another. This is one occasion when members of the family could help each other. One would set the table and the other would wash the dishes. That way, before going to sleep, no plate would be left unwashed in the lavatory. My mother hates leaving dirty plates in the lavatory. My grandmother, on the other hand, was very strict. She didn’t want to see a morsel of food wasted. She used to give us pinch that is equivalent to the number of morsels of food left on our plates.
Anybody who fully believes the doctrines of God could always apply those doctrines in his daily life. The siblings will learn to care for each other. It is but natural that siblings quarrel occasionally but no amount of quarrel could change the fact that they are brothers and sisters. There are couples who only have two children but despite that, these two still quarrel. I came from a big family. We are eight in the family, and I am the seventh. And I am truly thankful to God that until now our family has remained intact. What makes me happier is that all of them are with me in my service to God. Wherever I go, they are also there. This is the reason why I believe that, once a family possesses the kind of love that the Bible is teaching, that family will never fall apart. The husband and the wife will always help and support each other.
How to keep a family intact part 1
This time we are going to study God’s doctrine on how to keep a family intact, such that no matter what happens, it will never be shaken. The devil knows that the family is the basic unit of society. This is why most of the devil’s attacks are focused on the family because he knows that if the very foundation will be shaken, then even the highest stratum of the human society will collapse. The family has become the devil’s favorite target because it is the basic unit of society.
For this reason, God prepares some measures that would safeguard the family for it to remain intact. And, in the Bible, God gives us several tips on how to attain and maintain family solidarity.
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems that beset husbands and wives is that they have lost love for one another. Sometimes, it even reaches a point wherein the husband develops an illicit affair with another woman, and vice versa. They begin to neglect their children. The husband hardly goes home while his wife is also out playing mahjong. As a result, the children loiter with other youths, and later on, they acquire bad habits. More or less, this is one of the factors that give rise to the growing number of the so-called “broken families” in our time.
If you will notice the common scenario today, everybody seems to be always in a hurry. They want everything done fast and easy. A lot of people today are in a hurry to get rich; there are a lot of people who are in a hurry to reap honors. Today, the “no cook” foods and “instant” foods are very popular. You only have to add hot water and, presto, you have a noodle soup. Everybody is always on the move so that they do not even have time to cook anymore. And this is a realization of God’s prophecy in Daniel 12:4. This is what the Lord God told the prophet Daniel—
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro.”
Take note of God’s pronouncement, “even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro.” They will not walk, they will run. This is a picture of a fast-paced life. There would be great advancement in the means of transportation and communication. For instance, if you are in the Philippines and you want to talk to somebody in Hong Kong, or in the U.S., you just have to dial the number and in a matter of seconds, you are already conversing with him. We are living in a fast-paced society. People are always on the go; everything is now done the easy way. And this poses a threat to the family. That is why we have to be careful. Once the family members begin to forget their responsibilities to one another, when the family members begin to take each other for granted, then the family is on the verge of disintegration. The greatest institution that God established is heading for decay.
It was God who created the family. And because it was made by God, somebody else wants to destroy it. And that is nobody else but satan, the enemy of God. That is why if we do not know how to keep our families intact, it could be destroyed by the devil. And the moment the family falls, everything else fails, including the society. This is what is happening worldwide right now. The problem on criminality has become global. Wherever you go, you see broken homes and street children. Even in rich nations like the US there are also squatters and street children. But the scenario is worse in poorer countries like India and Bangladesh. These countries suffer extremely due to overpopulation. If I am not mistaken, India is already next to China in terms of population. There are about 1.3 billion Chinese in the world (estimated figure only as of July 2005), and next to them, in number maybe, is India. In other words, the decadence of the family has also become a global problem.
For this reason, we are sharing with our fellowmen the values that we have learned from the Bible. It is just bad that these values are not being taught by other leaders of religion. Precisely because they are too engrossed in money-making matters like tithing, love offering, prayer request, covenant partner, etc. Those are the things that keep them busy. They never discuss with their members worthwhile topics like keeping the family intact.
In everything that we do, one of our concerns is to share with other people the things that we have learned from the Bible. Let us now begin our discussion.
In keeping a family intact, it needs to have a very strong foundation. And what is the strongest foundation that a family could ever have? This is what Matthew 7:24-27 says—
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them not; shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”
The Bible said a wise man build his house upon a rock, so that even when the rain came, even it flooded, even the wind blew and beat the house, the house did not fall because it was standing on a solid and strong foundation – the rock.
What does that mean? How can a house be built upon a rock? Christ said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Therefore, the rock, which is the strong foundation of a house, symbolizes the word of God. In other words, the foundation of a strong family is the obedience to the word of God. Let us repeat Matthew 7:24—
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built a house upon a rock.”
If the word of God is being fulfilled, then, the family will have a very strong foundation in life. No matter what tempests come their way, the family will remain intact. It will not collapse. An edifice that is built on a big boulder of rock is not readily shaken. The same is true with the family. And we can say that a family is built on that solid foundation if its members do not only listen to the word of God but also obey it. When a father, a mother, and the children are always equipped with the word of God, that family can never be torn apart, because there is a tie that binds the members together. This is what Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Charity or love is the bond of perfection. Love is what makes a relationship perfect. The strongest bond to a family is love – the love of husband and wife for each other, the love of parents for their children, and the love of children for their parents. But why is it that despite the fact that love exists in one particular household, the family still fall apart? It is because the kind of love that exists between the husband and the wife is just an earthly love, or love of the flesh. And this kind of love fades. It may be true that the feeling was so intense when they were younger, but when they grew older, the feeling died down. No wonder we could hear them say, “We are just like brothers and sisters now. We do not sleep in the same room anymore.” For all you know, the husband was saying that because he had grown tired of his wife, who had become so fat due to child bearing. His former passion for her had faded. That is because it was just an earthly love, and this kind of love easily fades. I John 2:17 says—
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.”
For this reason, God prepares some measures that would safeguard the family for it to remain intact. And, in the Bible, God gives us several tips on how to attain and maintain family solidarity.
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems that beset husbands and wives is that they have lost love for one another. Sometimes, it even reaches a point wherein the husband develops an illicit affair with another woman, and vice versa. They begin to neglect their children. The husband hardly goes home while his wife is also out playing mahjong. As a result, the children loiter with other youths, and later on, they acquire bad habits. More or less, this is one of the factors that give rise to the growing number of the so-called “broken families” in our time.
If you will notice the common scenario today, everybody seems to be always in a hurry. They want everything done fast and easy. A lot of people today are in a hurry to get rich; there are a lot of people who are in a hurry to reap honors. Today, the “no cook” foods and “instant” foods are very popular. You only have to add hot water and, presto, you have a noodle soup. Everybody is always on the move so that they do not even have time to cook anymore. And this is a realization of God’s prophecy in Daniel 12:4. This is what the Lord God told the prophet Daniel—
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro.”
Take note of God’s pronouncement, “even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro.” They will not walk, they will run. This is a picture of a fast-paced life. There would be great advancement in the means of transportation and communication. For instance, if you are in the Philippines and you want to talk to somebody in Hong Kong, or in the U.S., you just have to dial the number and in a matter of seconds, you are already conversing with him. We are living in a fast-paced society. People are always on the go; everything is now done the easy way. And this poses a threat to the family. That is why we have to be careful. Once the family members begin to forget their responsibilities to one another, when the family members begin to take each other for granted, then the family is on the verge of disintegration. The greatest institution that God established is heading for decay.
It was God who created the family. And because it was made by God, somebody else wants to destroy it. And that is nobody else but satan, the enemy of God. That is why if we do not know how to keep our families intact, it could be destroyed by the devil. And the moment the family falls, everything else fails, including the society. This is what is happening worldwide right now. The problem on criminality has become global. Wherever you go, you see broken homes and street children. Even in rich nations like the US there are also squatters and street children. But the scenario is worse in poorer countries like India and Bangladesh. These countries suffer extremely due to overpopulation. If I am not mistaken, India is already next to China in terms of population. There are about 1.3 billion Chinese in the world (estimated figure only as of July 2005), and next to them, in number maybe, is India. In other words, the decadence of the family has also become a global problem.
For this reason, we are sharing with our fellowmen the values that we have learned from the Bible. It is just bad that these values are not being taught by other leaders of religion. Precisely because they are too engrossed in money-making matters like tithing, love offering, prayer request, covenant partner, etc. Those are the things that keep them busy. They never discuss with their members worthwhile topics like keeping the family intact.
In everything that we do, one of our concerns is to share with other people the things that we have learned from the Bible. Let us now begin our discussion.
In keeping a family intact, it needs to have a very strong foundation. And what is the strongest foundation that a family could ever have? This is what Matthew 7:24-27 says—
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them not; shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”
The Bible said a wise man build his house upon a rock, so that even when the rain came, even it flooded, even the wind blew and beat the house, the house did not fall because it was standing on a solid and strong foundation – the rock.
What does that mean? How can a house be built upon a rock? Christ said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Therefore, the rock, which is the strong foundation of a house, symbolizes the word of God. In other words, the foundation of a strong family is the obedience to the word of God. Let us repeat Matthew 7:24—
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built a house upon a rock.”
If the word of God is being fulfilled, then, the family will have a very strong foundation in life. No matter what tempests come their way, the family will remain intact. It will not collapse. An edifice that is built on a big boulder of rock is not readily shaken. The same is true with the family. And we can say that a family is built on that solid foundation if its members do not only listen to the word of God but also obey it. When a father, a mother, and the children are always equipped with the word of God, that family can never be torn apart, because there is a tie that binds the members together. This is what Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Charity or love is the bond of perfection. Love is what makes a relationship perfect. The strongest bond to a family is love – the love of husband and wife for each other, the love of parents for their children, and the love of children for their parents. But why is it that despite the fact that love exists in one particular household, the family still fall apart? It is because the kind of love that exists between the husband and the wife is just an earthly love, or love of the flesh. And this kind of love fades. It may be true that the feeling was so intense when they were younger, but when they grew older, the feeling died down. No wonder we could hear them say, “We are just like brothers and sisters now. We do not sleep in the same room anymore.” For all you know, the husband was saying that because he had grown tired of his wife, who had become so fat due to child bearing. His former passion for her had faded. That is because it was just an earthly love, and this kind of love easily fades. I John 2:17 says—
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.”
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