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.”