Worship God In Your Family

“If you do not worship God in your family, you are living in positive sin; you may be quite sure you do not care for the souls of your family. If you neglect to spread a meal for your children to eat, would it not be said that you did not care for their bodies? And if you do not lead your children and servants to the green pastures of God’s Word, and to seek the living water, how plain is it that you do not care for their souls!

Do it regularly, morning and evening. It is more needful than your daily food, more needful than your work. How vain and silly all your excuses will appear, when you look back from Hell! Do it fully. Some clip off the psalm, and some the reading of the Word; and so the worship of God is reduced to a mockery. Do it in a spiritual, lively manner, go to it as to a well of salvation.” - Robert Murray M’Cheyne

I have come to know M’Cheyne through D.A. Carson, author of For the Love of God.  I wish I could adequately explain to you how much this book has enriched my life.  Actually, it isn’t any credit to D.A. Carson or M’Cheyne but to our loving, merciful Father.

Before June 2009, I was a pitiful Christian (honestly, I’m not really that much better now).  What separates me from the previous Christian I was then is my involvement in the Word.  Pre-reformation–hehe– I knew that Jesus died for my sins. That’s it. Not that that is any small detail! But, that’s it.

I couldn’t have told you who Paul was, aside from the fact that he killed Christians before his regeneration.

I couldn’t have told you how long Moses and the Israelites were in exile.  Or any of the rich, beautiful, awesome interaction that God had with Moses and Aaron.

I couldn’t have told you that Jesus had siblings.

Most importantly of all, I would not have known a false teacher if they spit in my face. And to think that Peter, John and Jude focused their writings on this very thing and I DIDN’T HAVE A CLUE.  Am I mad? No. Am I determined? Yes!

Nothing reassures me more that I am heading in the right direction than conversing with my husband about deep theological issues and actually knowing what I’m talking about. Amen!

Tonight, for example, I was able to utter these words “…the imputation of Christ’s righteousness…”. Do you know that the old me would have laughed at you if you said I would use these words.  Praise the Lord for a new vocabulary!

So, back to For the Love of God.  It’s a slightly modified version of M’Cheyne’s system of reading through the Bible in a year. Specifically, the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.  The old me would have also laughed if you encouraged me to read the WHOLE Bible.  I have issues completing things…but that’s for another post.

I know you’d be blessed if you started this book. But, then again, you’ll be blessed reading the Bible period.