Allowing God to be the Foundation; Notes from the 2004 ACR Conference, Columbus Ohio, by Tanya Moore

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ALLOWING GOD TO BE THE FOUNDATION

Notes from the 2004 ACR Conference, Columbus Ohio
by Tanya Moore

July 9, 2004

I was encouraged by the single parent’s session. There were 4 to 5 people sharing about being a single parent and what that meant for them. Some were married but were able to share their story before they had taken that step into marriage. The information that was shared was encouraging, but it also was incredibly convicting.. I have teenagers and I am having the hardest time with them, as far as getting them to get along with one another and others. Because of the information shared, it helped me to put back the order in my household. I was able to take me out of the picture and put God in. I had to put a foundation in that would stand the test of time; with much prayer and crying this is what God has allowed to be put in place for my household.

I started with letting the family know that we will be living by a new motto. If there was anyone who felt that they could not live with it they were free to leave and other arrangements would be made for them. I told God this will be the new standard in my home.

Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” It was time for me to take a stand and not give into my children, but to give them a better foundation to build upon and making sure they understand that God is first, always.

Next, I had to put in basic Bible standards that will be the foundation for all the rules in the house and outside the house.

This is what God placed on my heart for my family basic Bible standards.

1. Treat everyone with respect and be respectful. Definition—to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with something that does not belong to you; also showing politeness.

Leviticus 19:3—each of your must respect his mother and father and you must observe my {God} Sabbaths.

Leviticus 19:32—rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly.

1 Thessalonians 4:12—so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 5:12—now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the lord and who admonish you.

1 Peter 2:17—show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, and honor the king.

2. Be honest. Definition—honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; not disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; upright, sincere, frank, open, humble, plain and genuine.

Colossians 3:9—do not lie to each other.

Leviticus 19:11—do not lie.

Also, there were goals that as a family, we needed to keep so that we would remain focused on God. By doing this it shows how much God loves us and wants to see us make good decisions, by the laws that he has put in place for us. The goal for the family will be to possess the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Lastly, are the goals put in place for my household to be instilled in their hearts for life, may God be the glory.

The goal is:

Philippians 2:14-15—Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18—Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-5—do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves, each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others, your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:16—Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Colossians 4:2—devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Thanks for letting me share about what I learned this weekend. I hope you can be as encouraged and as challenged as I was when I made these decisions. Feel free to ask me how it’s going; I would love to share with you how these changes are affecting my life and the lives of my children.