Day Twenty - Fixing our Minds on Christ

We are nearing the end of chapter 3 of Colossians can you believe that? 

“Husbands love your wives and don't be bitter toward them. Children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers do not exasperate your children so they won't become discouraged. Slaves obey your human masters in everything. Don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly fearing the Lord." 

Colossians 3:19-22

This section of scripture comes right on the heels of yesterday's devotion about wives submitting to their husbands.  The next instruction is that husbands are to love their wives. I'll tell you it's much easier to submit to a husband who loves you and who has your best interests at heart. This command ties right into the one prior to it. We also again need to stay in the context that we are to put on love which is the perfect bond of unity.

This passage nearly screams that unity is to carry not only from our church families, not only from our communities but right into our homes where we live. 

Today's Challenges

I've got a couple of challenges for you today. 

1.  First, consider whether or not your family sees you shine for Christ. Sometimes we feel like our family provides a safe place. It’s where we can let the real "us" show and, unfortunately sometimes, the real us is grumpy and short and crabby and argumentative. Too often, that's what comes out at home.

So, I want you just to evaluate that. And fix it. Fix it in the Lord’s strength. Ask the Lord to help you be your shiny self for Him so you can be salt and light. Ask Him to help you be encouraging and uplifting because we don't want to make our husbands bitter. We don't want to exasperate our children. As far as it depends on us, we are to live in unity.

2.  Next, I really want you to consider what you can do personally to improve the relationships in your home. Now, I'm not putting all the responsibility on you  - please do not hear me say that. We know that we can't control the attitudes and actions of our husbands and we can't control the attitudes or actions of our children. But we can control what goes on inside of our own minds. We can take our thoughts captive and we can continue to shine for Christ in our home.  We are in control of what we do in power of the Lord. Unity is key and that's what we're striving for. It's what we're pushing for. What is it you can do, personally, to improve that?

3.  I also want to encourage you to hold your family in prayer. If you're not praying for your family, honestly who is? Take that mantle. Take that assignment to heart and begin to pray for your family regularly. Ask for their protection, for their salvation, that they too would shine for Christ and that your family would be unified. Those are great things to pray for and a great starting point as you begin the habit of praying for your family.

I pray that you’re blessed today. I pray that you are strengthened in the word and I will see you right back here tomorrow. Thanks for joining me.

To view the video devotion click here:

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