Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families

The seven Biblical habits of highly effective families are: serve God together; train eyes and hearts to be pure; enjoy your family relationships; respect one another; keep family life safe and a blessing to all; teach the gift of work; and practice contentment. If families develop and practice the above habits they will be fruitful and blessed by God.

1. Serve God Together: -- Joshua expressed this important habit clearly, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Jos. 24:15). Our children need to see their parents worshiping and serving God daily, and gathering with the church when it meets for worship.

2. Train Our Eyes And Hearts To Be Pure: -- The Psalmist wrote, "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart, I will set nothing wicked before my eyes" (Psa. 101:2,3)

3. Enjoy Your Family Relationships: -- The family is a gift from God. Another Psalm declares, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord" (Psa. 127:3). The family is a relationship of fun and joy practiced every day to the glory of God.

4. Respect One Another: -- Every relationship of the family involves respect and love. Wives are to respect their husbands and husbands are to love and cherish their wives. Children are to honor their parents in everything (Col. 3:18-21).

5. Keep Family Life Safe: -- Family life is a safe haven for every member, a place where one finds protection and love. Notice the virtuous wife understood this lifestyle (Prov. 31:11, 12, 27).

6. Teach the Gift Of Work: -- "Every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor -- it is the gift of God" (Eccl. 3:12, 13). It should always be the routine of a family to be active in training children to be workers in every aspect of life.

7. Practice Contentment: -- The family is a place of satisfaction. Needs are to be met and all blessings are understood to have come from God. Contentment is something we must learn (Phil. 4:11) especially in the home, or we will never truly be happy.

May our families be blessed by God as they practice good, spiritual habits!

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