But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 

I Timothy 5:8, NKJV

 

Do you love your family?

 

Of course, we all do. When we look upon our newborn children, there is a feeling that comes over us that is hard to describe. For we men, it is an absolutely new experience, for at that moment we realize for the first time that we have a responsibility to one who is completely helpless without us and that there is nothing that we won't do to ensure their safety and well-being. Now, I'm not suggesting that the mamas feel any different, but it's likely not the first time they had such a feeling.

 

So, how does this relate to the passage above? After all, this verse is talking about our duty to take care of the older members of our family who do not have anyone else to turn to and who can no longer be reasonably expected to provide for all of their own physical needs. And while it is very true that this is the context of this verse, it is also important to realize that there is a basic truth contained within the passage the speaks to our duty to all of our family that we have the privilege of responsibility.

 

It is that responsibility that I want to talk about today.

 

We just had four of our eight grandchildren stay with us for a few days. The other four live a few blocks away from us, so we are constantly in contact with them, but the other half live an hour and a half away, so our time is more limited. But when we do get together, i am reminded of how important these sweet children are to me. It is akin to the feelings that I had when their parents were born - when all of our children were born for that matter. And there is nothing that I will not do to make sure that they are safe and well-cared for.

 

I think we all see this with our families. This is why we go to work to provide food and shelter for them. This is why we go to their games and cheer for them, why we take them to the doctor when they are ill, why we are vitally concerned with their getting a proper education, and so on - anything to make sure that they are okay. The question is, do we see that in the most important area of their lives? Are we providing for them in that area... or are we worse than an unbeliever when it comes to their immortal souls? 

 

It's an important question to answer, because when it comes down to it there will be a day - a moment where they kneel before God and find out if they were indeed living up to the purpose for which they were created. And what is that purpose. you may ask? It is to serve God!

 

This life is a test in many ways, but the reason for the test always comes back to the same basic truth: We are put here on earth for a short time to demonstrate our love for God and Christ by serving them in the way they have commanded. Jesus said in the 14th chapter of John that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. Now, we may live in any way we choose and still claim our love for Him, but that doesn't change the immutable nature of His statement. If we love Him, we will obey His commandments and if we do not obey, it's because we do not love Him. 

 

This life, then, is a test of that love. It is not an arbitrary test from a cruel master as some might suspect, because God and Christ love us more than we could possibly understand, and because of that love they want ius to be with them to serve them for all eternity. You can deny this truth if you wish, either verbally or by your actions, but that doesn't change a thing. God wants servants for eternity, and He has provided an opportunity for each one of us to experience Heaven itself if we will just love He and Christ enough to want to serve them for eternity.

 

Which gets us back to the start - do you love your family? Do you love them enough to not only provide for their physical needs, but for their spiritual ones as well? Will we love them enough to teach them about the love that God and Jesus have for us? Will we love them enough to pray for them every day? Will we read from and talk about the Bible with them every day? Will we love them enough to make sure that they have every opportunity to worship with the church and attend Bible classes with the church? And I don't just mean taking them to some functions of the church - you wouldn't let them only go to school on special occasions, and if they were playing a sport you cared about, you wouldn't let them attend practices only when they wanted to. 

 

And you wouldn't feed them only when it was convenient for you to do so or provide them with a place to stay at night only on certain occasions. If you did these things, you would not only be worse than an unbeliever, but you would be subject to legal penalties from the authorities. Yet how often do we give our families the things that last unto eternity? How often are we too tired to feed them spiritually, too busy to talk to them about their responsibility to God, and too lazy to take them (with us) to the worship and to Bible classes?

 

Do we truly love our families? Do we love them enough to do the hard and inconvenient things that will give them the best chance to serve God both here and in eternity? Or are we worse than an unbeliever in the most important responsibility there is when it comes to caring for our families?

 

These are the things I have been thinking about more and more, and our getting to be with our grandchildren has really brought these thoughts into crystal clear focus that I don't always have for them. The most important thing for me is that my children and grandchildren and my wife and all of the family that God has blessed me with a certain responsibility towards is taken care of. We know that on the Day of Judgment nothing else will matter. Since that is true, what does that tell us about the things we should be doing right now to make sure that our families are taken care of? Those who concern themselves with such questions will sure do well. However, those who do not take care of their families in the spiritual areas of life may just one day find out that in God's eyes they are worse than an unbeliever. 

 

So, what is the most important thing to you when it comes to your family? The answer to that will very likely determine whether your family, whom you love, will spend a pleasant eternity with our Lord and Savior, or an unbearable eternity apart from them. The wonderful thing is that it is not too late for us to begin this very day. If we truly believe, I think we will do just that.

 

Do you love your family?