Family First!

Family First Checklist

courtesy of Walk in the Word.com

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28

Do you want to give your family first place? Then consider these four aspects to lasting, godly commitment that you need to make:

1: Love your family first by having a total commitment to Christ.

It all begins with your vertical commitment to Christ. Anything less than a 100 percent radical devotion to Jesus is no commitment at all. Follow Christ first, above everything–above your spouse; above your children; above your family. Show them that you can actually love them better when you love Christ first than you could if you were ignoring Jesus and trying to love them in your own strength.

In their honest moments, most people know the struggle not to love other people, especially their families, more than they love God. But Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Jesus must be first.

2: Love your family first by calculating the cost.

Jesus said in Luke 14:28, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” If you want to build a tower, have a great lawn, lower your golf handicap, or have a marvelous, joy-filled family, it’s going to cost you.

To be Christ’s disciple demands careful analysis. It means you have to count the cost of that commitment ahead of time. Can I finish the course? Can I give what success in this priority demands? Can I be a faithful husband for my whole life? Can I be the wife God has called me to be? Can I be the parent? Because if I can’t keep my promises, I have no business making the commitment. But to be standing beside your spouse ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years later and to be able to say, “I still do” is powerful! And that power will flow down to your children and to your grandchildren.

3: Love your family first by finishing the course.

In a world of quitters, Jesus Christ is looking for finishers. It’s not how your family started that matters most; it’s where you all end up as a family and in eternity that really counts. Make no mistake, there are many eyes on you. People know what you profess and they are watching to see if you can keep the commitment you’ve made to your family. The world is filled with starters-up like a rocket and down like a rock-but God’s love in the heart of His children is what enables you to finish the course.

4: Love your family first by paying the price.

You need to know now that there is a price you will have to pay to have a God-honoring, successful family. Families that only stay together until hardship comes or conflict arises never experience the joy of all a family can be.

It’s one thing to talk about commitment in a vague, generalizing way. But truly living the Christian life is hardest at home. Some of you are going to face something this year as a family that will call for a massive price to be paid! Get ready. When you want to pull back–that’s the time to press in, push forward, and draw hard upon the Lord’s strength to live a life of absolute total commitment to your family.

So what do you think? Each week you are invited to visit 10Choices.org to engage in one of the ten choices with book excerpt and questions, and most importantly, comments from you