Family Values

Family Values

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.  6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.  7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers

I’ve recently studied the tribes of Abraham which took me back further to Noah’s children. In Judges 1, I read about the battles that took place between Judah and Canaan. This brought up some issues to mind, why are these people fighting when they are blood relatives. Judah had children by a Canaanite woman and prior to that Noah’s son Ham is the father of the Canaanite clan. So I went all the way to the beginning and read about Cain and Abel, in Genesis 4:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

With every action there is a reaction, with every cause there is an affect. In all of the Old Testament reading we find disagreements that lead to battles. We find misunderstandings that lead to war, why? Why do we feel that war is the answer to a disagreement? Most people feel that war is what God issued upon mankind when instruction was given the ancestors of that time. I personally do not believe God gave the okay for war because of the example God gave to us in Genesis and the Four Gospels. When Adam sinned, God did not destroy him and start all over. God gave him punishment with instruction on how to live a more “righteous lifestyle”. When opposition came up against Jesus Christ, he met it head on with knowledge and wisdom, and produced loving words to extinguish the flame of opposition. So why do we feel today that war is the answer to opposition.

When we conversate with someone and an issue comes up that causes disagreement, the average person becomes angry within, this is the action. Today the reaction is to verbally discredit the other person’s view or views. If it escalates it causes the two to fight; which then in turn becomes the effective nature of someone winning the battle by some means. But is this the right way to do things? If I have a disagreement with someone else and it escalates, and I have a gun, should I just pop him to win the argument? In fashions, once I extinguish his mouth, I have no one to argue the issue with, and at that moment I have won the argument. But you see it is not an argument that I have won because we all have differences of views and opinions. If I maintain this state of mind then I may extinguish a third of the population and eventually someone will out smart me and pull the trigger on me and pop me before I can pop them.

If we study properly, we will find that In God we are to utilize our thought process to analyze situations. Disagreements will always happen, it the action that takes precedence; in better words, “emotions”. For men, we must learn how to control our emotional being. Once we become successful at this “self-control” our actions will yield more positive reactions, or “outcomes”.

Case in point, if I disagree with someone about an issue and argue the facts with an open mind, an actual discussion takes place. Keeping my emotions out of the argument and debating facts can only lead to one outcome; an agreement. Either we agree to the outcome or agree to disagree. These are the things a man must learn to do and if we are successful at this in will manifest itself within our family. Our son’s will learn techniques that will allow them the ability to maintain self-control. Our wives will see that an argument is not necessary and we collectively find solutions to problems. The husband and wife demonstrate techniques in the eyesight’s of the children and they therefore obtain strategies to settle disagreements amongst themselves. We begin to have positive outcomes in the action/reaction scenario. The cause and effect become ways to inspire the inner being. I thoughts become more on the area of “enlightening” instead of “degrading”. Once we develop family values within our own household, the world can actually become a better place to live; but it has to start in my home, your home, his home, her home, their home. This has to be a worldwide reaction in order for it to effect the world as a whole.