Christ-centred families in the 21 st Century 6. Pressing on to the mark

Keep on keeping on Be clear in your vision Take back responsibility Persevere Love each other in service to Christ Give up vain things Deal with guilt, mistaken expectations and wrong desires

What families do Practise mutual submission, i.e. behave to each other in ways that accept full responsibility for your different roles Build each other up in the faith of Christ Teach children and others in the house so that they know Christ Maintain behaviours in the household that are in accordance with godliness and generally accepted standards.

Making Jesus Christ our Lord – to the glory of God the Father Our personal service as disciples of Jesus Our life as husband/wife, member of a family Our membership of and ministry in the ecclesia Our life as workers in, and members of, society

A fruitful vine ‘A fruitful vine in the innermost part of thine house’ (Ps 128:3) Israel ‘a vine out of Egypt’ (Ps 80:8) The Lord Jesus is ‘the True Vine’

Like olive plants David ‘like a green olive tree in the house of God’ (Psalm 52:8). Israel’s ‘‘branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree’ (Hosea 14:6)