How can we ensure our families remain faithful to God's calling today? Families Count to God “from the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zaccur, 70 men.” (Ezra 8:14) • God records ordinary households by name and number. • Each family is acknowledged as a distinct unit within His redemptive plan. • When Ezra organized the return, every clan that stepped forward proclaimed, “We belong to the Lord, and we’re going home.” Lessons Drawn from Ezra’s List • Spiritual leadership is family leadership. Heads of households rallied their relatives to leave comfortable Babylon for a hard, holy journey. • Obedience required decisive separation—Babylon’s culture had to be left behind (cf. Revelation 18:4). • The family roster shows accountability: if you sign up to follow, you are expected to arrive. Building Safeguards for Our Homes Today • Make Scripture the home’s foundation—read, recite, discuss it morning and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). • Live what you teach—“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). • Guard the doorstep—reject influences that dull love for Christ (2 Corinthians 6:17). • Commit to gathered worship—“not neglecting to meet together” (Hebrews 10:25). • Remember and record God’s works—tell the next generation “the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD” (Psalm 78:4). Cultivating Generational Faithfulness • Teach sound doctrine; children need truth, not trends (2 Timothy 3:16-17). • Pray together regularly; shared petitions knit hearts. • Serve in ministry side-by-side; faith grows when put to work (James 2:22). • Celebrate milestones of obedience—baptisms, mission trips, reconciliations—so memories anchor commitment. Promises for the Loyal Lineage • “My Spirit that is upon you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children” (Isaiah 59:21). • “The promise is for you and your children” (Acts 2:39). • God preserves a faithful remnant. When families, like Bigvai’s seventy, answer the call, He supplies every grace needed to keep them true until they see His city with their own eyes. |
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