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The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Family

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What is the very best thing you can do for your family?

Draw near to God and help your family do the same.

At PDS, we are partnering with you to help your sons grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man—like Jesus did (Luke 2:52). But what does that look like? The Bible tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).


We can get so busy with life that we forget who made us, why we were made, and that life on this earth ends. But Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

“Seeking God” can sound confusing—like we’re playing a game of hide-and-seek with God. But it just means spending time with God who loves you more than anyone. God speaks clearly through Jesus’ brother James: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Who would know better than Jesus’ own brother what it was like to be near God? He grew up with Jesus, but he did not believe him until after the resurrection. For a little while, James rejected Jesus as Lord, but Jesus was always there for James, and he gladly welcomed James when James trusted in him and drew near to him.

So how do we draw near to Jesus?

Jesus is always inviting us to know him better, and he tells us how:

Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8)

So what does that mean practically?

We can ask, seek, and knock by praying, reading God’s Word, and spending time with people who know Jesus.

 

Here are some things you can start doing this week to draw near to God:

Pray to God

Talk to God and let him know you want to know him better. Sometimes the best prayer is, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

Read (or listen) to the Bible

God’s Word is full of power and relevance for today. If you need somewhere to start, try a gospel like Matthew or John. I read and recommend Scripture Union’s Encounter With God, which guides you through a few verses every day.

Ask someone you know

God works through the lives of others to help us know him better (John 4:29, John 20:18, John 21:15). Ask a friend who knows Jesus to tell you how they got to know him better.

In the next couple of articles, we will continue our series on wisdom by giving you more practical tips on how to draw near to God, like how to lead a family devotion, and how to develop a heart for God. In the meantime, I’ll be praying for you.

Reach out to me anytime, and I’ll do all I can to point you to Jesus.

Howard Graham

Howard Graham served as Chaplain at PDS and Executive Director of the Building Boys, Making Men program from 2018-2020.

Building Boys, Making Men is a PDS-created program designed to give boys a godly vision and definition of manhood. We believe that boys should be intentionally taught about authentic manhood and have a biblical framework for making wise and edifying choices during their teenage years and beyond. The definition of manhood we teach our boys:

A real man glorifies God by seeking an adventurous life of purpose and passion as he protects and serves others.