Honoring Family

1 Tim. 5:3-8 (ESV)
Honor widows who are truly widows. [4] But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. [5] She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, [6] but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. [7] Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. [8] 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.
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. God gives us family. We may not always get along with them, and mother in-law jokes are infamous. I think this is probably the biggest problem with polygamy, more than one mother in-law. Family needs to be taken care of, and cherished despite the animosity brothers can have for each other. It is true godliness to take care of your family. This by the way, includes your wife, and your children.
Perhaps the biggest temptation a pastor has is to neglect his family. Pastors make time for everyone but their own family. They get kudo’s for it. They shouldn’t. They should be despised for that. It is tantamount to denying the faith. It is makes one worse than an unbeliever. Make sure your pastor takes his day off, and spends it with family. Have him pencil his wife into his daily planner. Want to know why the worst kid in town is more than likely the pastors kid? Pastors don’t skip church to take their boys fishing on Sunday morning. (Can’t tell you how jealous that made me growing up.) Hell, pastors won’t even let their kids skip church to obey the obligations they have to the little league team. You want an angry kid, let him take karate for two years and never progress to the next belt because he can’t go to a tournament. Have him swim competitively and then not go to out of town swim meets because they are over the weekend. And I’m sure I’m going to hear something from someone about how big a shame it is that these things are done on Sunday’s in the first place. That may be but get over it. They are it is a fact. Church is immensely important, so is parenting. I don’t like to see people skip church either. I hate it. I look forward to seeing my parishioners every Sunday. Part of me takes it personally when they don’t show up. But it is a fact of life. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Perhaps you don’t just skip church with your family because you played poker too late the night before. If you can get your kids up for school you can get them to church. But when you sign them up for little league, don’t make them walk away from the obligations they have to their team. You might just let them miss church a couple Sundays so they can progress in Karate. It won’t be the end of the world.
Pastors are notorious for letting others raise their children. Sure it may take a village, but it also takes parents. For boys it takes a dad. And being a dad, sets an example of Godly living to the rest of the congregation. Maybe you don’t skip church for fishing, but take Friday off and them out of school.