Growth By Serving

The culture around us suggests:

• Children are a liability.
• Children are costly.
• Children will bring you heartache.
• Children impede your relationships, your free time, your goals, and your output.

We could go one step further.

To reflect current cultural values we could just as easily replace “children” in the above statements with the words: “a husband” or “a wife."

And who is to argue?

Every one of the above statements is true – viewed from one narrow angle.

But then, this is overwhelmingly true:

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.  – Luke 14:11

Count on it.

The Apostle Paul understood this truth. And it became part of his litmus test for Church leaders:

A shepherd of God’s People must be a person who makes God’s Kingdom manifest among their family first and foremost.
– 1 Timothy 3:2-4; Titus 1:5&6 [paraphrased]

Why? Because servant-like commitment to your own tribe is the warrior's training ground for any leader of God's People.

A person who has wholly given themselves to cultivating God’s Kingdom in their family and home life is a person who is learning to live beyond their own desires and insecurities. They are learning how to grow God’s Kingdom just about anywhere. And it is worth every sacrifice.

You – spouses and parents – are tribal leaders of God's People. 
What you do in your family is the foundation of God's Kingdom.
Stay on the path.

And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Cast your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
– 1 Peter 5:5b-7