Manslick Road church of Christ » Family Matters
Marriage is life’s most intimate relationship. No one will affect you more than your mate. “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones” (Prov. 12:4 ).
For many reasons, Christians should marry Christians. Only in that case can you share what is most important in life — your service to Christ — with your closest companion. An unbelieving mate may influence you away from the Lord. If that does not happen, he or she will hold you back in some way, or at least make things more awkward or difficult. Two people dedicated to doing God’s will have a common basis for solving problems that come to the relationship. If God blesses the marriage with children, your parental obligation is much easier if both parents are Christians. And when death ends your marriage, how much better to face the loss of a companion knowing that he or she died in the Lord.
We need to emphasize these practical realities to people contemplating marriage. Nevertheless, some choose to marry those who are not Christians. Also, it is not uncommon among those already married for one spouse to become a Christian but the other does not. Such families should consider Eunice and take heart. She shows what can be done in that situation.
Acts 16 tells of Paul coming to Lystra on his second preaching trip. “And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek” (vs. 1). Timothy’s mother was Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5 ). His father was evidently not a Christian, and he was sufficiently opposed to Eunice’s beliefs that Timothy had not been circumcised (vs. 3).
What did Eunice do? Two things. First, she lived by her convictions, despite her husband. 2 Timothy 1:5 speaks of her sincere faith, which also characterized her mother, Lois. Second, she taught her son. Paul reminded Timothy that “from childhood you have known the sacred writings” (2 Tim. 3:15 ). It was surely more difficult for Eunice to have do this training without a husband’s help, but she did it. Doubtless Lois also contributed. If Eunice did it, so can you. It will require persistent instruction and a consistent example.
Something else about Eunice is noteworthy. It was at Lystra where Paul was stoned and left for dead on his first preaching trip (Acts 14:19 ). Now, this same apostle wanted her young son to go with him to destinations unknown to assist him in preaching. What would be in store for Timothy? How would he fare? Surely she had concerns. But the text reveals no hesitation on her part or his, and this faithful mother’s beloved son proved to be a valuable worker in the Lord’s cause. If you will be a Eunice, your son may be a Timothy.
Modern American families are on the move. There was a time when it was common for people to stay in one locale all their lives. That is now the exception rather than the rule, especially for younger families. Ever-changing economic and work conditions translate into more frequent job changes and moves.
This moving about is at times spiritually counter-productive. Some are faithful in attendance at one church, but when they relocate they do not maintain the habit of consistent worship. Some are hard workers in one place but never do get as involved in another. Some who have associated with a sound church in one community compromise when they move: perhaps the nearest faithful congregation is a greater distance away, or is small, or for some other reason seems less appealing.
The New Testament tells of a family that was often on the move: Aquila and his wife, Priscilla (or Prisca). You have to be impressed that no matter where they were, they were working hard for the Lord.
Our introduction to this couple is in Acts 18. Paul came to Corinth and stayed with them because they were of the same trade: tent-makers. They had recently come from Italy. The Bible does not say whether they were already Christians at that time or Paul converted them then. It does say that when Paul left Corinth they went with him to Ephesus (vss. 18-19). They stayed there while Paul went to Antioch.
While at Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos, an eloquent preacher from Alexandria. He was mighty in the Scriptures but ignorant about baptism. They “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (vs. 26). He went on to be an effective gospel preacher, first at Ephesus, then at Corinth.
Aquila and Priscilla evidently still lived at Ephesus when Paul returned there. He mentions them in 1 Corinthians 16:19 , noting that the church met in their house.
By the time Paul wrote Romans, this family was back to Rome. The Apostle wrote, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house” (Rom. 16:3-5 a).
The final mention of this couple is in 2 Timothy 4:19 . Now, Paul was in Rome and sent greetings to them back at Ephesus.
Aquila and Priscilla were models of faithfulness. Neither materialistic Ephesus nor ungodly Corinth influenced them away from the Lord. They worked with different sized churches. They worked in varying circumstances, at times dangerous ones. Yet Paul could always count on them. So could the Lord. Can He count on you?
No family in history has gone through life without facing some measure of hardship. No family in history has faced more adversity than did Job’s. We can all learn something from them.
Job was a godly man who evidently lived sometime around Abraham’s day. God prospered him abundantly. He was the greatest of all the men of the east (Job 1:5 ). Job also had a sizable family: seven sons and three daughters.
In a single disastrous day, Job lost just about everything. The Sabeans, from southern Arabia, captured Job’s oxen and donkeys, killing his servants who attended them. Fire of God (lightening?) burned up Job’s sheep and the servants watching them. The Chaldeans captured Job’s camels, killing more servants. Then a desert wind caved in the oldest brother’s house. All of Job’s children were feasting inside and were killed (Job 1:13-19 ). Can you even begin to imagine such a day?
Some time later, Job lost his health when he was smitten with boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. What a pitiful sight this one great man was, sitting in ashes, scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery (Job 2:1-8 ).
What lay behind this tragedy was Satan’s challenge to God: What kind of man have You created, one who serves You only out of self-interest? God envisioned that this testing of Job would prove otherwise. Job, of course, could not see this background. To him, Satan’s challenge was: What kind of God do you serve, one who allows you to suffer?
How did Job and his wife fare on Satan’s test? Unfortunately, Job’s wife, who lost as much as he did except for health, adopted an all-too-common stance: curse God and die (Job 2:9 ). Did she view this as the easy way out, or did she think that a God who would allow such things to happen was not worth serving? How sad it is that so many give up on the Lord when adversity strikes.
Job knew better. “Shall we accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10 ). “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 2:21 ).
Job’s noble stance was by no means easy. He struggled mightily with both the pain and the why of his affliction. Friends who came to comfort only added to his burden with their ignorant premises and baseless accusations — “sorry comforters are you all” (Job 16:2 ). But Job stayed the course and in the end was blessed (Job 42).
Life is not always fair. There is much we do not understand. Let that remind you that heaven, not earth, is home. Do not give up. “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful” (Jas. 5:11 ).