[Jesus said] "But those who hear my words and do not put them into practice are like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation" (Luke 6:49 TNIV).

If a brick house is beginning to crack, it's useless to reset the bricks until the foundation is repaired. And so it is with the family, if selfishness and immaturity are at the helm of that family. If husband and wife are fighting, or the children are rebellious, the foundation has got to be repaired. Before there can be a cure for the family problems, the mom and the dad in that home have to be solid or repaired.

Do you have a strong Christian system of values in your home? I'm not talking about "family values" or "old fashioned values," but values shaped by the teaching, character, and compassion of Christ!

Is each member mature and unselfish, or are they immature and selfish? Remember what Paul said about having the attitude or mind of Christ?

Examine the foundational values of your family.

In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8 TNIV)

The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything by Brian McLaren Unafraid of controversy or the uncomfortable gray areas of life, McLaren's quest is to find the essential message of Jesus' life - even if it overturns our conventional ideas, priorities, and practices.

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