4 Ways to Lead Your Family to Love the Lord Well
The fall season is a time to reflect on the blessings the Lord has given us while celebrating the good times and weathering the storms with family and friends. In the good times and the stormy times, we have to trust in the Lord to make it through, not depending on our own reasoning to go about every day (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The Lord has entrusted you as a parent with the role of raising your children to know and grow in Christ. You get to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations within your family (Matthew 28:19-20).
During this fun and busy season, it can be hard to stay focused on loving God and loving others. In the midst of a full schedule of school, sports practice, work, church, and so many other things, here are a few ways for you and your family to keep the main thing, the main thing!
- Love the Lord Well
Matthew 22:37 says, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (ESV)
That’s Jesus talking.
He does not say that we love the Lord haphazardly. He does not say that we give a half-hearted attempt to love the Lord. He says we are to love Him with all we are and all we have! As you draw closer to the Lord, decisions become clearer and your family is drawn closer together as you draw intimately closer to Jesus. As you lead your family, may loving the Lord be the main focus of your day-to-day.
John 8:31-32 says, “…If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (ESV)
Abiding in God’s Word DAILY will cause you to fall deeper in love with the Lord. If you are in love with the Lord, your family and your children will look to follow your lead. Being intentional to abide in the vine by reading God’s word and spiritually pouring into those around you will help you keep the main thing, the main thing.
- Love Your Family Well
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (ESV)
You can read your Bible together as a family, then encourage everyone to abide in the Word alone! You could pray over or meditate on Scripture in the car line or before leaving for the sports field. Love your family and your children well by pointing them to love Jesus.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (ESV)
Love is an action. It’s an action because Jesus perfected love on the cross as a self-sacrificial action. There is nothing inherently passive about love, and there should be nothing inherently passive about how we love our families. By pursuing intentionality with your kids and spouse, you will show each other the love of Christ and subconsciously point each other to grow closer to God.
- Love Your Church Well
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (ESV)
The body of Christ is the church. Being disconnected from the church means being disconnected from the body, which means being disconnected from God himself. Gathering together with other believers in a local church is not only refreshing to the soul; it is pure obedience to the Lord!
Acts 2:42, 46-47 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (ESV)
Jesus gathered in fellowship with his disciples often, and the church is intended to provide us a community of believer to do the same. Devoting ourselves to sold, biblically-based preaching in the local church allows us to hear the Word. As we hear the Word, we are to adhere to the Word. As we learn fom the Word, we can actively pour into the local body in fellowship!
As you gather, may your faith encourage others and may your faith be encouraged by others (Romans 1:12). Prioritize your family being connected to the body of the local church and keep the main thing, the main thing!
- Love Yourself Well
Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (ESV)
We are not perfect by any means. We are only good because of the work that Christ does within us. We must show ourselves grace and mercy as we find it in Christ Jesus. We must pursue quality time with the Lord in which we experience Him in a real and personal way.
Ephesians 6:11-12 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV)
Allowing Christ to be our defense enables us to love others well. We have to shield ourselves using the cross to protect our mind and body from the schemes of the Enemy. The best way we can do that is by memorizing Scripture and applying it to our lives. Continuing to fall madly in love with the Lord through reading His word and prayer helps us to align ourselves with the will and ways of God, allowing us to love ourselves well.
We will never be perfect parents, perfect spouses, or perfect people. We will always fall short in the calm and in the chaos. Even in our shortcomings, the Lord graciously stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20), inviting us into an intimate daily relationship with Him. There is nothing that can separate you from His Love (Romans 8:35-39).
As you lead your family, love the Lord and love others well. Keep the main thing, the main thing, and trust that He is faithful to provide all that you need in this season!
- The Connect Ministries Team
As a tool for you to love your family well and spark conversations about loving the Lord well, we’ve created a FREE fall family resource filled with activities, a family devotional, and discussion questions.
Download the FREE Family Resource