Leading Your Family Well

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:14-15

Today’s key passage of Scripture contains a very famous verse. It says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Can you imagine what could happen in this country if every family made that decision? Do you think the crime rate would go down? Do you think our jails would be emptier? Do you think our marriages might be stronger? Do you think schools would be safer?

Joshua shares with his people that he is going to lead his family to do three things with all his might and power. I would encourage every family and every household head to give this same direction, make this same decision, and have this same determination for your family.

Over the next couple of days, we’re going to talk in more depth about the three things Joshua led his family to do so that we can follow his example. Let’s talk about the first one now.

The first thing you can do to lead your family to serve the Lord is lead your family to fear the one God. It doesn’t matter how much your children know if they don’t know God. Fearing God is the basic foundation of all of life, and you’ve got to model that fear before your children.

They need to know that you talk to God about them, and they need to hear you talk to them about God. The way you show them that is by making sure your house and God’s house are interconnected. You let your children know by your participation, your engagement, and your involvement that church is not just one piece of a puzzle. In reality, it is a priority of God’s plan for your life. When you do this, you will be leading your family down the path of serving the Lord for all of eternity.

Dear Lord, thank you for the example Joshua set for us on how to lead our families to serve you. Help my family to see through my words, my actions, and my behaviors that I fear you and love you. May they be motivated to do the same based on the way I choose to live and follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.