In our busy world, family time frequently gets neglected.

It is vital that we give attention to our families while we can,

and it is especially important to give attention to what God says in his word about our homes.

For the next few minutes, let's join Scott Pauli,

as we open the Scriptures and find God's message for your family.

... If someone asked me what books of the New Testament give the fullest treatment on the family,

I would say Ephesians and Colossians. You know, Ephesians and Colossians are really

20 pistles. They run like parallel

tracks in the same direction if you just compare the two letters. And both of them have classic

passages, summary passages on marriage, on child rearing, on the relationship within the Christian home.

And yet the one book that Paul wrote in the New Testament that seems to have almost no

reference to the family is, in fact, I think, one of the greatest books for the family.

It is my favorite book of the Bible. It's the book of Philippians. It is sandwiched

between Ephesians and Colossians. So in Ephesians and Colossians, there's a great deal of

instruction about marriage and child rearing and family relationships, but between them, in the

little book of Philippians, is one of the open secrets of scripture, one of the great

keys that unlocks God's fullest blessing on a family. I'd like to talk to you for the next

few days in our study from the book of Philippians on this subject, a joyful home. In our homes,

are full of so many things. Some of them good, sometimes bad, but rarely do you

ever see a home that is just overflowing with the joy of the Lord? And yet, isn't that exactly

what it's supposed to be? Let's begin where God begins in the book of Philippians, Philippians chapter 1.

And verse number one, we read these words, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ,

...