Daily Devotion: What Happens When You Put Your Family Before God by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:32-38 KJV 

Key Verse:  "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
- Matthew 10:37 KJV

We have all seen it. People will continuously miss assembling themselves together in the house of God as commanded in Hebrews 10:25 to go to family reunions, ballet recitals, music recitals, ballgames, birthdays, weddings, etc. when it involves a child, grandchild or other family members. Everyone will miss an occasional service for a significant family event, but it should never be a regular or a routine part of our lives. So let's look in the Bible to see what happens when family is put before God.

Putting our family before God can lead to a series of bad consequences in our spiritual lives and relationships. When we prioritize our family over our relationship with God, we risk compromising our faith and missing out on the blessings that He has in store for us. Below are a few examples in the Bible where someone put family before God and it led to tragic consequences:

1. The Man Who Had To Say Goodbye to His Family: In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus encountered individuals who wanted to follow Him but first needed to take care of family matters. One person said he needed to bury his father, and another wanted to say goodbye to his family. Jesus emphasized that following Him should take precedence over even these important family responsibilities, highlighting the cost of discipleship. These men likely never fully understood the cost of choosing family over Jesus, and possibly were never saved as a result of their choice.
   
   
2. Eli Disobeyed God's Command To Discipline His Children: Eli was the high priest and judge of Israel, serving at Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. They were known for their wicked behavior, which included:
   
   a.) Disrespecting God's Offerings: They took the best portions of sacrifices for themselves, disregarding the proper procedures and God’s commands (1 Samuel 2:12-17).
   
   b.) Immorality: They engaged in immoral behavior with women who served at the entrance to the tabernacle of the congregation (1 Samuel 2:22).
   
   Samuel, a prophet of God (1 Samuel 2:27-36), came to Eli with a message from the Lord, declaring that because of the sins of Eli’s sons and Eli’s failure to restrain them, God would bring judgment on his family. This prophecy including his death, the death of Eli’s sons and the end of Eli’s family line as priests. 
   
   
3. Adam and Eve: In Genesis 3, Eve was deceived by the serpent, but Adam was not deceived but instead chose to disobey God and align himself with Eve. This one act of putting his wife, Eve, above God resulted in the fall of mankind and the introduction of sin into the world. 

Not everyone in the Bible put their family ahead of God. Consider Abraham in Genesis 17:15-19, where God told him that He would "give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations." Abraham and Sarah were well beyond the child-bearing years. Several years later after the birth of Isaac, God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise (Genesis 22:3-10). Abraham did as he was commanded and just before he killed Isaac, God intervened and provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac, affirming Abraham’s faith and obedience. 

By prioritizing our relationship with God, we can experience the spiritual growth and guidance that we need to navigate life's challenges and to make a positive impact on our families. As we read in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." By putting God first, we can provide our families with a strong spiritual foundation and set an example of faith and obedience.

However, putting our family before God can lead to a series of bad consequences, including weakened faith, increased vulnerability to worldly influences and even death. By prioritizing our relationship with God and seeking His guidance, we can experience spiritual growth and provide our families with a strong foundation of faith.

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