Family Time…God is good & all that He makes is good
What good moments stop and make you smile? As you race through life and whirl through your day, do you pause and consider God often? God is the basis for all that we consider to be good. Jesus told us that God alone is good. As I think of good moments in life with the ones that I love, how many of those moments are from God? All of them. Even good deeds from others…such as random acts of kindness or a struggle and then good prevails, they all come from God. It starts with God. He inspires us and His good ideas spread to people. Growing up it took me awhile to choose to notice the good in life. It was much easier to notice everything negative and of course to complain about the negative was easier too. It took time and God working in my life to help me see what was good and choose to talk about the good.
As a young parent raising kids, I noticed that my kids seemed to struggle with the same problem that I did of noticing and commenting on the negatives the majority of the time. This was especially common in our relationships. The majority of the time we existed peacefully together as a family and then one blow up of fighting and what is talked about for the next 5 years? The one blow up! Is there any mention of all the time of peace? Absolutely not! It is so easy to focus on the negative in relationships and the challenge is to choose to see the positives. But God tells us in 1Timothy 4:4 that everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected. Everything created in its original state was good. But sin entered and now we all live in a fallen world. So, problems do exist. But God still values each of us and He tell us to strive to be good and value what is good. In our family, it is still a challenge to encourage the group to value each other. But I do encourage my kids to see the glass half full and look for the good in each other.
This week in your family time, I would encourage you to prepare by praying and asking God to reveal to you how your family sees God and sees each other. The majority of the time, do you see God as good? Do you see each other as good? Do you value God? Do you value the other people in your family? It will be evident in your conversation and action towards each other if you do or don’t. If God is revealing to you that this is a challenge for your family, remind your family that your relationships are one of the only things that go with us into eternity. Your relationship with Jesus and others will continue in heaven. They are long term and matter. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to encourage one another and build each other up. You may have a family member who really struggles with being positive. If you do, each time this family member is critical, tell them to list 5 good things about the person that they targeted to criticize. And the compliments have to be valid nice comments. Train them to change how they think of others by challenging them with this positive exercise each time they criticize. It will take a while but eventually a change will take place. You can do the same exercise with thoughts on God. Train your family to see God’s good by thinking of 5 good things about Him too and then thank Him for it!
Do you need help or prayer for your family time? Email me at SkyMoms@skyranch.org.
I will be praying for you!
Stacy Davis
Click the link below for your free copy of the Sky Ranch “Open your Eyes” Family Devotional …
This week we are in the 4th Month Topic and 1st Family Time (or page 37 ) of the Sky Ranch Devotional “Open Your Eyes”…
Family Time 1:
Month 4 Topic: God is perfectly good…All that He makes is good.
Talk with God: Read…Genesis 1:31, Deuteronomy 32:4
~ Genesis 1:31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
- In Gen 1:31, how did God view all that He made?
~ Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.
- In Deut 32:4, how is God’s work described?
Walk with God: Discuss... Before sin, God describes His work…you and me…as good. How do you view people? We all sin…we all fall short of the mark that God set for us and it is important to deal with our sins according to Scripture. But our attitude toward people is important, too. How do you view members of your family or friends? Do you see the good or the bad in them?
Prayer suggestion… Pray for God to help you see the good in life.
Family Time 1:
Month 4 Topic: God is perfectly good
Leader Answers:
- Very good
- Perfect
- Discussion ideas: Now we live in a fallen world and Romans 3:12 tells us “none are good…not even one.” But we are to seek to be good like God is good. However, we can’t be good on our own…we need God’s redemption and Holy Spirit to help us live life. In our attitude, it can actually be easier to see the negative, can’t it? If someone struggles with always seeing the negative, ask them to find the positive or good in the situation…it can be as simple as training yourself to look for the good.
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