- Today we will be treating
an important topic titled "Balancing church and family life."
- I love this topic especially because it is something that affects every
Christian home.
- First things first... You
must ask yourself what is more important, family or church?
- Without defining what your
order of priorities is, you will always have conflict.
- You and your spouse need
to be in agreement as to the order of priorities
- I personally believe that
our family ought to be a priority above our church ministry
- Scripture supports this
- If your family breaks
apart, your Christian testimony becomes ineffective.
- People can only trust a
man whose lifestyle exemplifies his message.
- If you want to measure the
quality of a minister's character, look at his home life. Gen 18:19
- So, how do we do it? How
do we put our family first yet still attend to ministry demands? 1 Tim 5:8
- Know the order of your
priorities. Here is what works for my husband @biupresident and I:
- Your number one
responsibility is to God. Keep your connection with him intact. Have daily
time for prayer and Bible reading. Ps 119:105
- Grow personally, before
you stand before men publicly.
- Develop your knowledge
base of the Word, especially in challenging areas.
- Spouse comes before
children. Work hard to ensure that your spouse knows they are your
priority.
- Set aside time every day
for uninterrupted communication.
- Set a weekly "date
night" where you enjoy time away from kids, church and work.
- Pay attention to your
spouse's needs, spoken and unspoken. Maintain a healthy agreeable sex
life.
- Children come before
church volunteer work or ministry.
- Your child will grow up
feeling secure if you make it clear to them that they come first before
work and church.
- Spend quality time with
your children.
- Get to know your
children's likes and dislikes.
- Your vocation is
important. It will help you take care of your major responsibilities and
fund the gospel.
- The scripture says in II
Thes. 3:10 "...the one who is
unwilling to work shall not eat." ‘
- Don't put your family into
poverty because of your martyr mentality to give all for the kingdom.
- Let your family be assured
that their basic needs will be taken care of before the needs of others. ‘
- Church life and
volunteerism is where your eternal reward comes from. Do it with all your
heart. Rev 22:12
- To maintain a balance, you
need to always remind yourself and your family of your priorities.
- Discuss your priorities
often and allow your family to hold you accountable.
- Avoid crowding your
schedule with unnecessary or irrelevant activities.
- Pray and get agreement
before taking on any new duty.
- Learn to delegate some
church responsibilities that can be handled by others. Don't think you
must do it alone.
- When you travel for
ministry assignments, still make out time to communicate and pray with
your family through phone calls, text messages or video calls.
- Keep yourself accessible
to your spouse, even while in church related activities. This fosters
trust
- Never make your family
feel like the church is your home.
- Involve your spouse and
your children in church activities too.
- When they find joy in
service, they will see why you also find joy in service.
- Communicate! Communicate!
Communicate! If the church has a program or camp meeting that will take
you away for several days, give ample notice and get agreement before you
register.
- If you don't have
agreement from your spouse, don't do it. Remember your priorities.
- Set boundaries. Allocate
time and limits to your ministry life.
- For example: you must not
be on call for your ministry 24/7
- Listen to the spoken and
unspoken clues that your spouse gives you about your time away from home. ‘
- Some people have argued
that balance is a myth. I disagree. I believe that proper balance is
achievable if we keep these principles in our forefront. ‘
- Do you have some thoughts
on this topic? Feel free to share with us using #FamilyLifeSimplified ‘
Join me (@IdahosaLaurie) on twitter for upcoming
editions of #FamilyLifeSimplified every Thursday, 7pm @MyChurchUnusual.
Thank you and God bless.
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