Fully Functional Family: The Family Guide to GROW Through Dysfunction.Shembull

Day 2: Foundational Faith and Unifying Belief

We all have a pre-wired desire to be united in something that is bigger than ourselves. That's why growing through dysfunction begins with a shared faith and belief system that tells us what's right, wrong, good, and bad. That belief system is guided by the Bible (a.k.a. God's Word), so we'll begin there. The foundational belief is found in ‭‭John‬ ‭3:16‭-‬18‬ ‭MSG‬‬. Pay close attention to the parts that I emphasize.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because that person failed to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

Then, ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:5‭-‬8 MSG says, “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity, took on the status of a slave, and became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.”

I highlighted some great things in these two passages of Scripture! They are important to note because no matter how busy we are with school, work, sports, games, or whatever else, we have a single belief to reference. Imagine that this belief is like a point on a triangle, and each family member is speeding past one another along the triangle as he or she conducts his or her daily activities. That unifying point on the triangle brings us together daily as it guides our actions, behavior, and decisions. Here are the unifying fundamentals that we should follow:

1. God gave up (or “sacrificed”) something that was important to Him to help someone else.
2. His selfless sacrifice was to show people the right way, not to play the “blame game” and tell us how wrong we were.
3. Jesus wasn't a “clout chaser” (or someone seeking recognition for being associated with someone famous); instead, He constantly used His status to make others' lives better.
4. Jesus' sacrifice was all about forgiveness for our wrongdoings and reconciling with us. That way, we don't have to be judged by our past sins. He died to ensure we have the opportunity to overcome our failures and mistakes to live a brighter future.
5. Jesus always considered others' well-being above His own.
6. Jesus knowingly suffered embarrassment, pain, and humiliation because He knew it would ultimately help others. He put it all on the line to prove that He loves us.

Suppose we believe these fundamentals and allow them to guide our everyday thoughts and actions. In that case, we'll find common ground for every conversation, disagreement, argument, and act of kindness. ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:13‬ ‭MSG‬‬ says, “We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which [Christ] has the final say in everything.” A home with a single faith reference point will grow stronger relationships as each member learns to rely on God's daily guidance provided in the Word.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sacrificing Your Son so we can be forgiven. We acknowledge that we can grow closer as a family by believing in Him and studying Your Word. Please help us understand how we can use Your Word to guide our actions and interactions with each other every day. Thank you for my wonderful family! Amen.

Continue the discussion:

1. Re-read today's scripture. What comes to mind when you read Jesus' story? What is one thing each of you can do to imitate Jesus today?
2. In your own words, describe what it means to “sacrifice” for someone else. Keep that definition in mind for tomorrow's devotion.