Page 85 - Family Life Student Textbook

Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

This verse contrasts being filled with the spirit with being drunk with wine. Being
drunk with wine allows alcohol to control us. God wants his Holy Spirit to control us
as believers. This verse is not talking about receiving the Holy Spirit. That would
make the meaning of “filled” to be a spatial filling, like water fills a glass. But, the
Bible assures us, that when we come to faith in Christ the Holy Spirit indwells us.
Every Christian believer has the Holy Spirit living inside him.

Now, part of living the Christian life in victory, is allowing the Holy Spirit to control
us so that his attributes will shine through our life. Galatians 5 lists these fruits of
the spirit which will be evident as the Holy Spirit controls us.

God desires to give us victory in our daily experiential life through his supernatural power. This is the same
power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And this power is available to us to help us relate to our family
members in a godly way. We must cooperate with God, obeying the word of God, and trusting God's Holy
Spirit to give us the power to have victory.

2) Build a Heritage of Destiny

The Old Testament emphasized the importance of building the next generation to pass on our heritage. We
want to pass on a Godly heritage to our future generations. Some of us may not have inherited from our
parents a Godly heritage. But, by the grace of God, we can change that heritage and make it better for our
children and grandchildren. It will be very rewarding to see our children and grandchildren serving God and
making a difference in this world.

How can we accomplish this?

Commit to personal growth in Christ.

John 15:4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Commit to building a godly family.

Psalm 112:1–2 “Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight
in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the
upright will be blessed.”

Commit to help reach the world.

Matthew 28:19–20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.”

As a family serves the Lord together, the children learn the importance of arranging their priorities in a way
that honors God and his work here on earth. In this way we can train our children to carry on the model we
have set of serving God.
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