Stewardship: the Family

Our last Got Teens?! Small Group meeting was...small!  There were only 5 of us and although we were missing  3 of our friends, we had a good discussion!  

We opened in prayer for the women who couldn't make it, their needs and needs in the group.

Chapter 3 opens with a description of stewardship and how, as Christians, we immediately think of money, time and talents (giftings) but NOT our family or children.  Yet..they are the most precious gifts God has given to us, entrusted to us and required to care for.

2 main points are talked about in this chapter:  the above statement about gifts from God and the prinicple of how we must give an account for our stewardship of our families when we stand before Christ.

Turning to page 22 of our study guide we read I John 4: 20 and answer the question directly below it.  We all took a turn sharing how we can apply this verse to our own family and to our selves.We discussed that we really can't love others, including our own flesh and blood, until we first love God...because GOD IS LOVE!

We read the part of Scripture found in Matthew 25:14-29 keeping our own families in mind.  We discussed the next question on page 23.

We concluded that yes, this is a parable of stewardship but that for our group purposes and this book, that the family is the gift here.  We are to be good stewards of our husbands and children.  We need to invest in our family balancing and investing wisely.  One way to do this is by meeting the love languages of each person in the family unit.

Discussion from the information on pgs 24-25 followed about HOW to treat our children.  We all gave practical examples (question 1 on page 25) of  what it means to receive a child in Jesus' name. (not pushing the child away physically or emotionally/spending TIME with the child/investing in her life, meeting the love language.).

The question at the bottom of pg 25 was also discussed and my answers were:

• neglect in the home can lead to issues outside the home (sinful behavior to get negative attention if positive attention is withheld)
• impatience can lead to anger/behavioral issues
• high and inappropriate expectations (or "too low" expectations) can lead to several sins such as lying, cheating, stealing. We discussed some appropriate expectations for the teen years and ones that might be too high (or too low). 

other members shared their answers but I will keep those private :)

We then jumped ahead  to pg 30 and discussed the top question about what is the "perfect law of liberty"?  We concluded based on Scripture, that it is freedom in Christ.....and "doing the Word"...it's like a mirror...if we look into it we will be changed (looking into the face of Jesus). 

this is based on 2 Cor.3:18

Discussion on pg 31 about our marital roles and what submission actually means in the Bible for both husband and wife. (we discussed what submission is, and is not). this was a review for most of us!

We discussed practical examples of teaching spiritual disciplines to our children which was based on the Scripture from Philippians 4:9

Some ideas:

• tithing (to teach money)
• service projects as families (to teach compassion/serving/loving others)
• family dinners for communication about spiritual disciplines
• the importance of quiet times/devotions/teaching Scripture/praying for and with our family/teens
• fellowshipping at church together
• involving our kids in youth group for healthy relationships with peers and other adults who can speak into their lives

We concluded by agreeing that our teens are gifts from God and that we definitely need to practice stewardship in our families....that they are a heritage from the Lord and precious treasures.

Our next meeting will focus on Unconditional Love for our Family and what that means.

The first 4 chapters are "setting the stage" for the rest of the book which centers on Keeping Safe from Spiritual Bondage.

Because of the nature of the rest of the book, those notes will not be up on this blog.  These chapters will bring out very personal issues that relate to spiritual bondage and/or sinful habits.  Discussion of how to avoid spiritual bondage (Satan!) will be discussed in length over the summer months.

We will also be getting into how to lay a firm foundation,how to pull down strongholds/generational curses, "respectable sins", and how to bind Satan.  We will be learning about the binding weapons and how to pray for our family.

Study Book:  Protecting Your Family: Stand Strong Against Today's Challenges by Charles Stanley, c.2008