The genealogies in Scripture are so important that it may rightly be said that we cannot fully see the glory of the metanarrative (i.e. the storyline) of the Bible without them.

 

Establishing a habit of family worship begins with a willing heart, and there are many helps and tools to make worship God-honoring and effective. It need not be complicated. Start with a simple plan and set aside a little time, and watch family worship build into a family tradition that helps both children and parents walk with the Lord on all the days of the week.By the way, family worship can still be a blessing where only one parent is interested or able. A mother or father can gather the children together to worship the Lord together as a smaller group--after breakfast, before bed, after dinner--even if a spouse is not inclined to lead. Ultimately, we must leave it to the Lord to shepherd our families and bless our efforts to instruct them and enjoy him.

 

We need pastoral manuals--books of pastoral theology and practice--that help us put the T (i.e. Theology) into the PT (i.e. Pastoral Theology).This has long been a part of the Christian tradition, as theologians, following the lead of Paul to Timothy and Titus, crafted epistles and manuals on pastoral practice.

 

As a Christian, why not sin? We could give a myriad of answers to that question. However, the best answer is supplied by Paul in Romans 6. Paul could have talked about the misery that sin brings, the pain that it inflicts upon others, the consequences which flow from it, or the penalty that Christ had to pay for it. But that is not where he first turns. He wants Christians to understand that we cannot easily entertain sin, because of our identity.

 

He makes an axe head float. He creates ex nihilo. He causes the sun to stand still. He can defeat an entire army on his own and cause his enemies to fall dead when he pleases. He brings the dead son of a widow back to life and commanded Lazarus to walk out of a tomb. The sick were healed, the blind received their sight. Our God is a mighty, miracle-working God. But he doesn’t always work that way.