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We are in the last week of our 21 Days of Surrender. This week, we are seeing what we, as Jesus followers, can do to Surrender to His Word. We will return to our regular News & Notes format next week. So, if you are only subscribed to the 21 Days of Prayer emails, be sure to subscribe here for our regular weekly newsletter.
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Thursday, Jan 18 - Surrendering Your Family
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DEVOTIONAL: “SURRENDERING YOUR FAMILY’”
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I am excited for today’s topic, because the first time I ever walked out of a Sunday worship service severely convicted of something, it was about my approach to loving and leading my family.
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I remember thinking I did not consider my family (specifically my children) as something even remotely in need of sanctification. At that time, I had not considered my family as something that even could be surrendered to God. I simply viewed family as a self-existent good, an organic gift from God for a life well lived. And when my family (or any family) operated negatively, I saw it as a failure of human execution and sin.
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In the years since, I have come to take God’s Word more seriously, which has helped me see some of the clear instructions and warnings for earthly families, verses such as…
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But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)
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Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise. (Ephesians 6:1-2
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These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
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Since that convicting sermon where I felt so deeply I had been worshiping my family and not surrendering them (and myself) to God, I see clearly that they had become an idol in my life, coming before Him in thought, word, and deed. This was reflected through disordered schedule keeping, a flippant attitude surrounding service, silence about His Word in my home, and more.
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In the study of God's Word, we find these clear instructions, and while they may seem like small slivers of application, when taken in their totality, we begin to see that God has graciously given a complete and coherent picture of what a family looks like in submission to His Word, which is Christ, the Word made Flesh! May you today and everyday surrender your family to God, so that He might take His rightful place in your life, so you might love your family the way God calls you to.
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Father, I pray You would shape my family to Your will and desire, that in surrendering my family to You and Your plan, I would see how delightful You intended these familial relationships to be: beautiful in function and beautiful in form. Praise be to you, O Lord, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. Amen.
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21 Days of Prayer
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We’re almost there! Make the most of these last couple days in our 21 Days of Surrender. If God has done something significant in your life through this journey, we’d love to hear it this Sunday at open mic time.
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Riverwood's Annual Report
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We will be presenting the 2023 Annual Report after the Worship Gathering on Jan. 28. We invite you all to stay and hear of how God has been moving in Riverwood and our community this past year!
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The Table - New Date
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Due to the weather, the Table was rescheduled for this Monday, Jan. 22 at Sara’s house (message 319.239.9128 for directions). Bring a friend, and jump in to our discussion on discipleship!
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Stay in the Scripture
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