Spend your time wisely

It’s clear that Job was incredibly wealthy. Although many fathers wrongly feel like they only need to provide for their families financially, Job didn’t stop there.

Job’s sons “used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them” (Job 1:4). Here we discover another key to being a good father: time together. Even though they were scattered around the area, they spent time together as a family, every week.

Children spell love as T-I-M-E. It takes time to be a great father.

In verse 5 we discover our final example: worshiping together.

Each week, Job would “send” for his family, calling them to meet him at his house. He would “rise early in the morning,” a Hebrew idiom meaning “as his highest priority.” He would “consecrate” them, sacrificing an animal for each of his children (Job 1:5).

He did this proactively, in case they had sinned. He did not assume that they were where they should be spiritually but took active steps to lead them to the Lord. He was their first pastor and priest, taking personal responsibility for their spiritual lives.

His example is in Scripture, so we will follow it today. Do you have regular time to pray with your family? To read Scripture together? To worship?

Our text concludes: “Thus Job did continually” (Job 1:5). Not just on feast days, special observances, or when problems arose. He was committed to personal integrity, spirituality, time together, and worship together, every week.

No matter the stress of his work or the circumstances of his life, these priorities came first.

No wonder he was known as “the greatest of all the people of the east” (Job 1:3). His family would have agreed.

How well would your family say you’re demonstrating these keys in your life and family? Personal integrity, spirituality, time together, worship together, and consistency—which is God’s invitation for focus and progress today?

My advice: start somewhere.

If you feel lacking in all of these areas, start somewhere and make progress, even if they are small steps. In time, as you invest in your family, you will see the fruits of your time investment, in your life and theirs.