Day 5 - The Stewardship of Family and Relationships
Day 5 - The Stewardship of Family and Relationships
Day 5 - The Stewardship of Family and Relationships
Relationships
Many times, we take for granted that those people that we are closest to – our family, friends,
and church family – are also part of our stewardship. How we view each other and the
responsibilities we have to steward these relationships is critical in honoring God.
I am sure many of us have seen families or individuals that have not done well in taking care of
each other. Sometimes it’s physical needs, but often it can also be spiritual direction. There is no
greater challenge given to parents and to grandparents than to raise their children into a healthy
understanding of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I want to emphasize that I do believe our church is critical to help grow our families in faith and
in Truth. But nothing will ever take the place of the responsibility of the home to be the
discipling force behind spiritually healthy families. Ask questions of each other. Discuss Scripture
together and see what you can learn from each other. Don’t assume spiritual health just
because you go to church together (but DO GO TO CHURCH together! ). God has given you
families and church members to care for and challenge in love to be strong in the Lord. When
we do this well, it is an effective witness to the outside world, and it brings Him glory.
God has given you family, relationships, and our church in order to make each one about
honoring God (Joshua 24:15). When we decide the focus of our family is to “pass on the family
business” or “make us proud” or to create a human status, we’ve missed the point. The same for
our relationships. They aren’t to pull us down or give us a false sense of importance, they are to
honor God (Proverbs 27:17). When you form relationships, do they honor God or do they just
make you feel good about yourself? We all can work on this. Let’s encourage one another in this
area.
On a scale from 1 to 10, how well are you stewarding your family and relationships?
(If you feel like you didn’t do well with this and your kids are now grown, there is no condemnation in
Christ for this! Ask God to allow you to speak Truth in love and teach them today. Pray for
opportunities to be the parent and grandparent God wants you to be now. The same goes for past
relationships that were not honoring God. Make them now a chance to talk about your faith in Christ.)
Close by enjoying this kids’ song (“This Little Light of Mine”), but recognize the truth of it as well.