By Wendell Winkler (submitted by Jerry Sturgill)

Will priorities be established in your children when…

1. You are early for their ballgame, but late for worship?
2. You check on their homework regularly, but never check on their Bible class lessons?
3. You won’t let them miss school even though they don’t want to go, but let them miss church worship services?
4. You won’t let them stay up late on school nights, but let them stay up late on Saturday night?
5. You will serve as a room mother at their school or volunteer at school, but will not help with classes, activities, programs which involve spiritual matters?
6. You attend open house at their school, but do not visit their classroom of Bible school, or even know where their class meets?
7. You support, attend, or even participate in their sports activities (baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, etc.) but regularly miss activities involving the church?
8. You never (almost never) miss meeting with the civic or social club of which you are a member, but frequently miss worship services?
9. You go to work even though you do not feel like it, but stay home on Sunday in the same condition?

HOME…

Home is a beautiful word. Every time we hear the word, many thoughts go racing through our minds. Many of us think back to an earlier time in life when as children home was a most cherished place. It was a place of comfort and security. The home is a place where valuable principles are taught. The Christian home should be an inviting place, a place we enjoy coming to each day.

Consider a few of the things to be taught and blessings to enjoy in the Christian home.

H – Hope of Heaven.

The Christian home makes heaven the most important priority a person can have. The home will be the training grounds for learning and living so that heaven is the goal for every family member. Parents are to bring the children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The word admonition means “calling attention to, that is, (by implication) mild rebuke or warning” (Strong’s). This process requires giving instructions and demonstrating what is being taught. The hope of heaven is instilled through regular Bible study, example and faithful worship attendance (Hebrews 10:25).

O – Obedience to authority.

Learning and understanding respect for authority begins in the home. The leadership in the home must demonstrate respect for proper authority. Many children do not respect those who have authority over them whether it be in the home, schools or concerning civil authorities.  The Christian home recognizes the authority of an eldership (Hebrews 13:17), the authority given to parents (Ephesians 6:1-4), and civil authority (Romans 13:1-6).

M – Morality.

The Christian home is the best place for morals to be taught. Far too many are relying upon the school system or other avenues to teach morals to the children. Very often those venues are not teaching morals found in the Bible. Home Bible studies afford an excellent time to teach godliness to our children (Titus 2:11-12).

E – Encouragement.

In Christian homes, each member is important and should find an encouraging atmosphere. Someone said, “The home should provide the framework for self-esteem and confidence.” Each member of the family should be encouraged and never made to feel unimportant. Fathers are to bring their children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The word nurture means, “the whole training and education of children” (Thayer’s). Proper instruction and tender guidance will build confidence and self-esteem.

Sacrifice lies at the very heart of religion.  Very early in the text of Sacred Scripture Abel’s offering of “the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof” is mentioned (Gen. 4:4).  Abel offered by faith (Heb. 11:4), but one cannot do something by faith unless a word from God has first been given to instruct (Rom. 10:17).  Thus, we conclude that God must have originated the practice of sacrifices and instructed Cain and Abel to offer them.  While Abel took God at his word, Cain did not (Gen. 4:5).  The rejection of Cain’s offering only makes sense if he had refused to follow God’s previous instructions, not recorded for us in Holy Writ.

From the time of Genesis 3, when sin had entered into the world, sacrifice was necessary for man to have a restored relationship with God.  God decreed the penalty of death for sin (Gen. 2:17).  Because man sinned, he must suffer the penalty of sin; however, God devised a way that His law could be honored while at the same time He offered mercy to mankind, “to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

Animals took man’s place in suffering the penalty of sin throughout the Old Testament. Blood had to be shed for the remission of sins (Heb. 9:22).  After Cain and Abel, the Bible records Noah gathering the animals to be placed on the ark – the clean by sevens and the unclean by two (Gen. 7:2).  The additional clean animals were gathered for sacrifice later when the flood waters were assuaged and the land was dry enough for them to exit (Gen. 8:20).  Animal sacrifices were offered by the patriarchs (Gen. 22:13), detailed in the law of Moses (Leviticus), and were still practiced at the time when Jesus was on the earth preparing to die for the sins of the world (Luke 22:7-8).

All of these animals sacrifices could not take away sin (Heb. 10:4), but they looked forward to their fulfillment: Jesus Christ’s death and mediation, a better sacrifice that once and for all would pay for sin (Heb. 9:23-26).  Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), a plan God had from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Perhaps because we live on this side of the cross, with the sacrifice already made, we are tempted to take for granted the sacrifice made for us.  Whenever we sin, we do not have to see death right in front of our eyes for what we’ve done.  Do we think of sin as no big deal?  God has given us instructions to remember and cherish the sacrificial death of Christ every week when we come together (1 Cor. 11:17-29).  Do we take the Lord’s Supper lightly?  The more we grasp how monumental Jesus’ death was for us, the more we will be motivated to live for Him, “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).

-Mark Day