SEARCH Lesson 088 – “IT’S ALL YOURS, LORD”

Key Verse

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
— Joshua 24:15

Family

Proverbs 31:10-31
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For our Mother’s Day lesson, Proverbs portrays a beautiful example of a godly mother. She is honored by her children and praised by her husband who implicitly trusts in her. However, as valuable as the influence of a Christian mother and wife is, it in no way releases the other members of the family from their obligations to the Lord. Each of us has a responsibility to God that no one else can fill. If we accept that responsibility we will be blessed here on earth and rewarded in Heaven.

QUESTIONS

  1. What is indicated by the phrase, “Who can find a virtuous woman?” List some of the characteristics of this woman, and note some of the pressures or trends in our world today which might influence a woman striving to exemplify these traits.
  2. The woman described in our lesson has many commendable observations made about her. She is praised by her husband and honored by her children, but which of her attributes do you consider most praiseworthy?
  3. To receive God’s blessing, who in the family is responsible for establishing the spiritual foundation of the family? How can this be done? See Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
  4. We are given this excellent example of a godly woman and how she occupied her time. Write briefly what you think the Lord might expect of a godly father. See Deuteronomy 4:9; Proverbs 13:24; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 12:14; Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 10:25.
  5. At what age does the Bible encourage us to seek the Lord (Ecclesiastes 12:1)? What are the advantages of following this advice? What are some things godly parents can do to encourage this?
  6. Having established spiritual guidelines for mothers and fathers, what are the two major instructions given in the Bible to children? See Exodus 20:12 and Colossians 3:20.
  7. In looking back over our last questions, we see that both parents and children have certain responsibilities toward God and each other. If each individual is fulfilling these, what effect does this have on the family as a whole?
  8. Consider next a family in which all the members are united, but this time they are united in their worldly interests and their lack of desire to serve God. What might we expect to see evidenced in that family?

THOUGHT PROVOKER: When each member of a family fulfills his responsibility as directed by God’s Word, that family can expect God’s blessing. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5).

 

THEME THOUGHTS
The purpose of this quarter is to focus on the meaning of complete consecration. Keeping this in mind, we started this quarter with a lesson on the heart, “for out of it are the issues of life.” We continued with various members of the physical body, showing that each member can be consecrated and can be used in the service of the Lord. In order to be totally committed to Christ, we should not only consecrate the parts of our physical body, but also our will, time, money, relationships, and future. As you study these lessons, you will find that in many cases they overlap. For instance, the lesson which deals with the tongue relates closely to the lesson on the heart, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” We are not suggesting that each part can be consecrated as a segment, or in a certain progression, but rather endeavoring to stress that total commitment to Christ involves all of these aspects.Consecration begins with salvation when one dedicates his life to God, but total commitment to Him involves day-to-day decisions. You might say that we have taken one lesson on total consecration and divided it into thirteen sections in order to give an in-depth coverage.
  • Genesis 18:19
  • Exodus 20:12
  • Proverbs 15:20
  • Ephesians 6:4

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