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EVANGELIZES, EDUCATES & EDIFIES!
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By Rev. Raymond E. Williams, Jr.
Minister Raymond E. Williams Jr., is an Associate Minister at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, in St. Albans, New York. His area of expertise is outreach. He heads the Prison Ministry Teams at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. Minister Williams is the founder of Brother Raymond and Friends (Homeless outreach ministry). He is also the former Editor of The Herald and The Minister's Speak newsletters (church publication). Minister Williams is also a good friend of Ronald Wiggins. Find out more about his ministry by visiting http://www.brotherraymondandfriends.com
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
"So God created man
in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created
he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them: Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that
moveth upon the earth." Gen. 1:27-28 KJV
Since the creation of mankind, God has been involved in the formulation and structure of families. God made the very first family when he gave Adam his wife, Eve. God recognized that man should not be by himself, he said: "It is not good for the man to be alone..." It was God that created family; families that are supposed to be fruitful, families that are supposed to multiply, subdue the earth and take authority over every living creature.
God has given us specific rules for the creation and governance of the family, yet mankind has always had a problem obeying the rules. Mankind has always had a problem obeying God. We are told that "He who finds a wife finds a good thing…;" yet many men favor relationships with other men, and many women favor relationships with other women, even though God says, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." It is done anyway, humans have a hard time behaving and adhering to the Word of the Lord.
It's another reality that we don't really consider ourselves a family until we have children, or until we've procreated. It is not just about the relationship between a husband and wife, but also how we interact and raise our children that determine what kind of family we are. God says, "Be fruitful and multiply." That is Gods' plan for humanity; that we should be useful and make "little-me's' and 'little-you's." We are to raise these little-you's and me's to love and honor God. 'To love and honor God,' as a family concept can be interpreted as morals or in this case; 'Family Values.'
Thinking about and reviewing the past, the Bible deals with "Family Values" by showing us many examples of dysfunctional families in stories that tell us about the heroes of the Bible, letting us know that dysfunction is sometimes present even among those favored by God. It helps us to know what to look for and what to avoid in our own families. Can we forget Abram and his wife Sarai when they traveled to Egypt, because he feared for his life, he told his wife to say to the Egyptians that she was his sister? By doing this, he set his wife up for infidelity at the hands of the powerful Pharaoh. Then in their later years, his wife Sarah had her maid sleep with her husband to impregnate the maid because she was barren and didn't trust the Lord to deliver her from her condition. What about the very first family? Cain was jealous of his brother Abel and killed him. Then there was Jacob, who favored his youngest son, Joseph more than his other 10 sons. Because of this, Joseph's brothers hated him so much so that they plotted to kill him. This plot ended with Joseph being sold in slavery. Who can forget about poor Hosea, who married a woman who was a harlot? Hosea's wife refused to change her old habits, and so she disrespected her husband and her family, by continuing in her illicit affairs.
The Bible also tells us stories about families that faced tragedy and heartbreak. Remember Job, who lost all his beloved sons and daughters only to be left with a wife who told him to curse God and die? Then, there was the lovely Tamar daughter of King David, who was raped by her half brother Amnon, who was killed by his half brother Absalom; all of whom were the children of King David.
The Bible's focus if examined closely is primarily on the family, living Holy and the worship of the Lord. By reading the Bible we have an opportunity to observe these families in their most vulnerable and difficult issues. We see their struggles, their loves, their hates, their joy and their pain. The Biblical families had to endure things that we can personalize and can even understand how these things could happen, and if given the proper circumstances can even happen to us. The Bible lets us know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives when we dedicate ourselves and our families to Him. It lets us know that we can be favored by God regardless of the mistakes that we make in life. God can still deliver us from our circumstances.
This summer, let your focus be on your family and family life. Encourage, exhort and love your family, avoid the pitfalls of the dysfunctional family. Try to spend more time with your love ones and help them to be the people that God would have you all to be. May God bless you and your family, have a great summer…
Since the creation of mankind, God has been involved in the formulation and structure of families. God made the very first family when he gave Adam his wife, Eve. God recognized that man should not be by himself, he said: "It is not good for the man to be alone..." It was God that created family; families that are supposed to be fruitful, families that are supposed to multiply, subdue the earth and take authority over every living creature.
God has given us specific rules for the creation and governance of the family, yet mankind has always had a problem obeying the rules. Mankind has always had a problem obeying God. We are told that "He who finds a wife finds a good thing…;" yet many men favor relationships with other men, and many women favor relationships with other women, even though God says, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." It is done anyway, humans have a hard time behaving and adhering to the Word of the Lord.
It's another reality that we don't really consider ourselves a family until we have children, or until we've procreated. It is not just about the relationship between a husband and wife, but also how we interact and raise our children that determine what kind of family we are. God says, "Be fruitful and multiply." That is Gods' plan for humanity; that we should be useful and make "little-me's' and 'little-you's." We are to raise these little-you's and me's to love and honor God. 'To love and honor God,' as a family concept can be interpreted as morals or in this case; 'Family Values.'
Thinking about and reviewing the past, the Bible deals with "Family Values" by showing us many examples of dysfunctional families in stories that tell us about the heroes of the Bible, letting us know that dysfunction is sometimes present even among those favored by God. It helps us to know what to look for and what to avoid in our own families. Can we forget Abram and his wife Sarai when they traveled to Egypt, because he feared for his life, he told his wife to say to the Egyptians that she was his sister? By doing this, he set his wife up for infidelity at the hands of the powerful Pharaoh. Then in their later years, his wife Sarah had her maid sleep with her husband to impregnate the maid because she was barren and didn't trust the Lord to deliver her from her condition. What about the very first family? Cain was jealous of his brother Abel and killed him. Then there was Jacob, who favored his youngest son, Joseph more than his other 10 sons. Because of this, Joseph's brothers hated him so much so that they plotted to kill him. This plot ended with Joseph being sold in slavery. Who can forget about poor Hosea, who married a woman who was a harlot? Hosea's wife refused to change her old habits, and so she disrespected her husband and her family, by continuing in her illicit affairs.
The Bible also tells us stories about families that faced tragedy and heartbreak. Remember Job, who lost all his beloved sons and daughters only to be left with a wife who told him to curse God and die? Then, there was the lovely Tamar daughter of King David, who was raped by her half brother Amnon, who was killed by his half brother Absalom; all of whom were the children of King David.
The Bible's focus if examined closely is primarily on the family, living Holy and the worship of the Lord. By reading the Bible we have an opportunity to observe these families in their most vulnerable and difficult issues. We see their struggles, their loves, their hates, their joy and their pain. The Biblical families had to endure things that we can personalize and can even understand how these things could happen, and if given the proper circumstances can even happen to us. The Bible lets us know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives when we dedicate ourselves and our families to Him. It lets us know that we can be favored by God regardless of the mistakes that we make in life. God can still deliver us from our circumstances.
This summer, let your focus be on your family and family life. Encourage, exhort and love your family, avoid the pitfalls of the dysfunctional family. Try to spend more time with your love ones and help them to be the people that God would have you all to be. May God bless you and your family, have a great summer…