Monday, September 14, 2020

The Family

By Ron Thomas

    The smallest unit in society is the individual. An individual, however, does not desire to be alone so; as the Lord set it up, marriage takes place wherein the two become one (Genesis 2:21-24). This is exclusively for the male and female, a heterosexual relationship. The Lord does not recognize homosexual relationships; in fact, He considers homosexuality an abomination. The natural outgrowth of this heterosexual relationship is a small family, starting with the husband and wife; the union between the two results in children. As the family starts with two, with children it goes to three, then four, perhaps more. Whatever the number, the smallest unit in society has now turned into a family with a generation to follow.
    Because of confusion, there are some in society who take unnatural relationship, relationships the Lord considers an abomination, and try to make it natural. It won’t work! That which is unnatural has its origin in this world, from the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). In the Lord’s plan, the male/husband/father is the leader in the family, the female/wife/mother is in submission to his leadership. His leadership must be patterned after the Lord's way, a way of love and righteousness. If the family is not patterned after the Lord’s way, the family sways to and fro, like a boat on the water with wave after wave, no steadiness in the hand that leads. With no steadiness at the helm, where does the ship with a family on it go? Perhaps into the realm of the unknown, directed by hearts uncertain about what to do, how to do it. If a person says he/she knows what to do and how to do it, then this family on a ship tossed back and forth in the midst of a tumultuous sea will arrive at a destination not of their choosing. In either case, without the Lord, not much of a journey!

- Ron Thomas preacher for the Sunrush Church of Christ, Chillicothe, OH. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. http://sunrushchurchofchrist.com/


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