Question: How many of you had the privilege of having family worship most every day as a child? If so, how did it influence you as an adult?  Please feel free to contribute your input!! Jim

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11. Growing in Christ:
By His death on the cross Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. He who subjugated the demonic spirits during His earthly ministry has broken their power and made certain their ultimate doom. Jesus' victory gives us victory over the evil forces that still seek to control us, as we walk with Him in peace, joy, and assurance of His love. Now the Holy Spirit dwells within us and empowers us. Continually committed to Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, we are set free from the burden of our past deeds. No longer do we live in the darkness, fear of evil powers, ignorance, and meaninglessness of our former way of life. In this new freedom in Jesus, we are called to grow into the likeness of His character, communing with Him daily in prayer, feeding on His Word, meditating on it and on His providence, singing His praises, gathering together for worship, and participating in the mission of the Church. As we give ourselves in loving service to those around us and in witnessing to His salvation, His constant presence with us through the Spirit transforms every moment and every task into a spiritual experience. (Ps 1:1, 2; 23:4; 77:11, 12; Col 1:13, 14; 2:6, 14, 15; Luke 10:17-20; Eph 5:19, 20; 6:12-18; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:17, 18; Phil 3:7-14; 1 Thess 5:16-18; Matt 20:25-28; John 20:21; Gal 5:22-25; Rom 8:38, 39; 1 John 4:4; Heb 10:25.)

Thats a great question James. Speaking for myself, I would say that my father was the one that showed me how personal I could get with God, he made me understand and believe that once I believed Who Jesus was and accepted him as my Lord n Savior, I became a child of God, and since I had a very close relationship with my father n mother, I could understand the privildge of such a relationship. Its someone you could go to anytime with anything and they'd be there for you....well this is how I grew up....Dad always told me to focus on JESUS, when I read the Bible, I would make mental note of how He would react to a certain situation, and what Jesus' answers were, in other words I alway studied the gospels. This then became the foundation and rock on which I built my faith and stood strong thru it all. My children were taught to do the same..To me worshiping God is a 24/7 365 day routine, in the way u work, your dealings with people n family,,, handling crisis,etc; Thanking n praising God should be the essense of our daily life, not a 1/2 hour family devotion and then back to the usual routing with no mind of God at all !!!! Wow have I said too much !!!! blessings Pauline R

Pauline, as far as I am concerned, you could never say too much concerning this issue!! Thank you for sharing.

When I was a child, we pretty much had worship every day, usually before my father would leave to teach his classes. Sometimes, I resented having to be there, because often times we would be required to memorize certain scriptures. We would also learn and sing songs. Through the years I learned to respect my mother and father for doing these daily routines.

Although at this point, I do not have my own family, but maybe someday I will, and the thought patterns that went into the daily routine, are embedded in my mind!

Hi Jim,

When I was growing up we always said grace at every meal.  We never met as a family to discuss scriptures.  We met as a family for support at every meal, we discussed what happened every day.  We were encouraged to join groups in the church and were provided a means of always getting there.  If we were unsure of anything we heard or read, we were encouraged to ask for explanations. My mother played the organ and we sang a lot of songs with her. She taught my seven sisters how to play the organ, and she was too busy looking after my sick father to teach me how to play.  I have always wanted to learn how to do that.  Maybe I will learn yet.

After growing up, I have continued to read and learn the scriptures.  Every time I read the bible cover to cover I learn new things.  As my experience and understanding grows I grow in my interpretation of what I read.  It is the book you learn the most from as you continue to read it over and over again.  As an adult I strongly encourage people to read his word many times.

Pauline

Hi Pauline, thanks for your input!

We too had grace at every meal, and we all learned to play the piano at an early age. We always had a piano in the house, even though we moved alot when I was young. When I was 12 years old I began to play the Cornet (trumpet) and then I kindof gave up on the piano, although I have a sister who still plays it actively. I was fortunate enough to have a good instructor who taught me trumpet and I eventually joined her band and brass ensemble. That was one of the highlights of my college days.

Back in 1980 we took a 3 week tour of Brazil and did concerts at every major city in the country, and we even made an LP which never went public. Too bad!!

Every time one opens the bible seems like something new comes out of it!