Joyful Lights

…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds…  Heb 10:24

I know this verse applies in context to the church family, but I have felt very strongly that verses like these can apply just as appropriately to the nuclear family.  And, that is where my challenge lies this morning.

I have noticed something about my family lately.  There tends to be a lot more whininess than joy.  It is something we have just become desensitized to.  We just respond that way without even thinking about it.  It’s not just my kids – we all do it.  And, it is not glorifying to God!

We are the light of the world (Matt 5:14).  This is not a command to be the light of the world – it is a statement of fact that this is what we are.  What sort of light is my family shining?  How can we truly be glorifying to Christ if we are whining all the time?  In fact, Phil 2:14-15 reminds us that we do appear as lights to the world, and we have to put aside that whininess so we will be pure lights.

So, my challenge – and the challenge I will place before my family – is to consider how to stimulate one another to good deeds, and especially to stimulate one another to good attitudes.  May we become a family known for our joy and rejoicing!