Abraham’s story of building family Altar.

Hey, I’m Abraham. I am going to tell a story about how I gained peace and love from God. Picture this: I’m living comfortably in Ur, and then God tells me to pack up and move. Not just to a new neighborhood, but to a totally different country, Canaan. It’s a wild move, but I trust God, so I take my wife Sarai, my nephew Lot, all our stuff, and the people with us, and off we go.

Now, think about this for a sec. We’re trekking to this new place, and I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. We’ve left everything familiar behind, and sometimes it feels like we’re all alone out there. But then, God shows up. He says, Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Gen12:1-3)” 

Then the Lord appeared to me and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”(Gen12:7) And there I built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to ME.

Fast forward to today. We’ve got our own kinds of altars—maybe it’s a family chat where we share what we’re thankful for, or it’s just a moment when we pause to pray together. Whatever it is, it’s about recognizing that, even when life gets real and we feel lost, God’s still there, guiding us. 

 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1.   It reminds me that, If God’s not in our plans, we’re just running in circles. You can have the flashiest crib, but if there’s no joy, no peace? It’s just a pretty, empty shell. And let’s be real, we can’t micromanage our family’s faith or safety. We can watch out for them, but at some point, we are going to let go and surrender to God.

And hey, I get it. This generation, they’re pushing boundaries, trying to figure things out. They might not see it as rebelling; they’re just doing their own thing. But sometimes, that freedom they’re chasing can lead them down some rocky paths, and it can really sting those who care about them

Parents, I hear you. You think the world’s messing with your kids, or the church isn’t doing enough. But faith isn’t a Saturday -only deal. What’s happening Sunday through Friday? What are we teaching our kids during those other 166 hours in the week?

Bottom line: Preachers and teachers can help, but most of the heavy lifting? That’s on us at home. We can’t count  on just a couple of hours of Saturday religious education class  and consider it done.. We need to live the everyday example.

So, let’s go back to the basics, like I did. Set up that family altar of trust in God’s guidance. Show your kids that faith is the real deal for you, and even the wild ones will notice. They’ll see the love and the care, and it’ll make them think twice about the choices they make. They might not turn around on the spot, but that seed’s planted.

In the end, our family altar isn’t just about tradition or routine; it’s about keeping our hearts tuned to God’s frequency. It’s about coming back to Him, together, no matter where we’ve wandered off to. That’s the legacy I started, and it’s one we can all keep going. And this is how you get peace and love at home.

We warmly invite you to come to the True Jesus Church’s bi-annual Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation.  See details below.

18-21 April 2024 Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation

Thursday, 18 April 2024 6:50PM to 8:10PM
Friday and Saturday, 19-20 April, 2024 9:00AM to 8:10PM
Sunday, 21 April, 2024 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.

Please find our church location below:

4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
 Google Maps

For online streaming, please click here.

For regular service hours, please click here.

Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org