Runnymede Christian Fellowship, a church in Egham

Week 41 - Family values  

For every Christian household entrusted by God with the faithful stewardship of the members of their house, our decisions directly impact the people we live with whether we are willing to admit it or not. For this reason every decision we make should include our consideration of what impact that decision will have on them. For example where we reside, what local church we join, what recreational activities we pursue, and how we educate our children, all impact our household in a very important way. Let us briefly consider the broad impact of some common decisions.

How important is our decision concerning where we reside?

As a household we must thoroughly consider the impact of their community on the household. The proximity of our neighbours and the makeup of our neighbourhood can directly impact our family. How we discipline our children; there is pressure upon us to allow our children to interact with other children in the neighbourhood.

How important is our decision concerning a local church?

The people we interact with on a regular basis are going to have a great impact upon our children whether we want them to or not. In an environment such as the local church our children can either prosper or perish based on the impact of this group. So often families develop ties with a local church for various reasons with little or no regard for the impact that the people in that congregation will have on their children. For example how much one enjoys the preaching, how attached one is to a particular denomination, or the proximity of the church to one's home should all take a back seat to what impact the congregation is going to have on one's family.

How important is our decision concerning how we educate our children?

This begins with being aware of what they are learning, what the schools policies are, what they are learning, but also develops to who they are spending time with, who has major influence over our children, of them we need to have an understanding of what we believe and therefore what would like our children to be taught, particularly in areas of personal morality, values and lifestyle.

How important are our decisions concerning recreation?

Recreation has a substantial impact on everyone's life. It can be a very rewarding and rejuvenating part of our lives when appropriate activities are pursued in moderation. Our recreation should include both family activities and individual activities which allow us to enjoy those things God has rightly provided for us.

How valuable are the lives of our family?

For each of us the answer to this question should be that they are priceless! With this in mind we should be willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to secure their well being! If our Lord Jesus was willing to sacrifice His life on the cross that we might be saved, surely we should be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to properly protect our families from the ways of the world.

God has called us to be faithful stewards over our households including our children, while we can not save them, we must diligently seek to preserve them. We have every obligation to work as faithfully as we can to bring our children up in the ways of God.