Transcript

Hamilton: God has called us to be ambassadors even in this dark moment

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Darkness is not an affirmative force. It simply reoccupies the space vacated by the light.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: This is the, uh, Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: It should be uncomfortable for a believer to live as a hypocrite, delivering people.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Out of the bondage of mainstream media and the philosophies of this world.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: God has called you and me to be his ambassadors even in this dark moment. Let's not miss our moment.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And now, the, uh, Hamilton Corner.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Good evening everybody.

Abraham Hamilton III: Many of you are making transition from part time jobs

Welcome to the Hamilton Corner here on American Family Radio. My name is Abraham Hamilton III and I am the host of this program. We got some visitors passing by right now, so it's good to see you guys. Um, thank you for tuning into the show. What a, what a week. What a week it's been already. But, uh, God has faithful. He's brought us to this juncture in the week, at this very moment. Many of you, if not most of you, are making your transition from your part time jobs where you generate an income to your full time jobs where you cultivate an outcome. And as you do so, I want to remind you to do so with intentionality. Understand the primacy that God places on family and allow that the reality of the primacy that God places on family to guide you and I in our engagements. I've said it before and I will say it again. We will never outpace, outvote out, politic out, Supreme Court opinion out, lobby out, registered voters. Beyond the deficiencies that abound in our homes, if God could get ahold of us and our families, there's no question as to what could happen in our world. Among the institutions that God established among mankind, the human institutions, the first of which that he established was the family with marriage at the center. God did that intentionally. He intentionally did that to communicate to us the central feature that the family plays in his economy. The central feature that the family plays in the unfolding, in the construction of society. If we bypass the family, if we ignore the family, or if we cede the family jurisdiction to governmental forces, we can expect to see what we currently have to continue. And, uh, the idea that I've been thinking about, and we've been talking about this at church, my brother Will Addison has pointed this out. Uh, I often reflect on Daniel and his friends, uh, being in Babylon and Babylon never ending in them, and how they had a time of development and preparation, even though they were yaled, uh, young boys when they arrived in Babylon, they had a time of preparation prior to arriving in Babylon. Well, folks, we are living in a form of Babylon. While we're endeavoring to be faithful to the Lord, to rear our children in his nurture and his admonition to be salt and light, we are doing so in a modern, somewhat Babylonian context. And so it is, it is vitally important that we understand, uh, the context that we are in and we engage with that awareness. And to say this very simply, what I'm driving towards is that we don't have the luxury to play footsie with the devil. We don't have the luxury to play footsie with sin. You know, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Though the initial offering is very often presented, uh, with platitudes. And you have arsenic, but it's coated in chocolate. The ultimate objective is just that, theft, murder and destruction. So we have to understand that and we also have to recognize that this is the context that God has placed us in, and he has not placed us in it to be overwhelmed by the environment, to be overwhelmed by the context, but that we would execute his commission in the midst of it. So as you are making your transition to your full time jobs, first and foremost, recognize this. It's full time work, it's a full time commitment, it's a full time investment. What we do to generate revenue, it is important, but it's not the most important thing that we do. Sometimes, especially when I talk to men around the country, uh, that's a challenging recalibration because many times we think our most important jobs as men is providing. That's not the most important. It is important, but not the most important. And I will remind you, as I often do, man, if you're in a life stage as I am, we have young children. We only have them for this long. We only have them for this long. I told you guys before, the little baby that, you know, that we had, who was born in Texas, by the way, that joker got a learner's permit, a driving permit. What in the world is going on? Where did the time go? I, uh, chuckle because my children, they now been down to hug their mother. When did this happen? It happens that quickly? What I'm saying is that we must be about our father's business. We must work while it is day. We'll take advantage. We must take advantage of the time that we have and make the main thing, the main thing. The sad reality, even in many churches, we have all kind of programs, we have all kind of plans, we have all kind of things going on. But the children are. The are, are a secondary phenomenon. When wicked people, Vladimir Lenin, for example, Said, give me all the children at. By the age of four, let me teach them. Let me teach all the children to give them to me by the age of four. Let me teach them for the next four years and I'll rule the world. That's what Lenin said. We got to understand this.

Deuteronomy 6 is one of the fundamental ingredients for disciple making

To the word of God we go today we're going to begin the show in the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, chapter six, verses four through nine. And I'm going to pair this with, um, with. With Ephesians chapter five, which I've mentioned several times. Even when I have the privilege of counseling young men and they're, uh, preparing for marriage. I referred them to this. When the scripture says in Ephesians 5, um, that wives are to submit themselves to their own husbands. Wives submit to your own husbands as unto the Lord. I've explained that that is a covenantal. Submission is a covenantal context between a husband and a wife. It's not a generalized proposition for, for all women, assume to all men. It's a covenantal context that men have an. Have an obligation to commit themselves to their wives for lifelong holy matrimony. And that is the environment from which submission springs. But I've also communicated that that word submission is the English transliteration of the Greek text hupostaso, which means to. To submit in a voluntary fashion. That hupostaso, Greek term, is translated transliterated into English and in the compound English word sub meaning under and mission, from the word meter, m I, T R e, which means vision. All of those words are used to say, there can be no submission if there's no mission. This is what I tell me. If you, young man, want to be a husband one day, you must be worthy of a wife. And so I, uh, challenge the young men. What is your mission? What is the mission for the family that you would position you would be positioned to lead. If you have no mission, if you have no vision for a family, I tell the young men you are biblically unqualified for marriage. Now, that is not a terminal sentence. That's not an incurable disease. That's just the reality. Then, if you desire to be joined to a wife in holy matrimony, you have an obligation to know who you are, who God has called you to be, what God has called you to. And what is God's vision for your operation and function within a family? Because what you present to your prospective bride is that mission and vision, and that is what she voluntarily joins you to fulfill. To that end, Deuteronomy 6. I'm going to read it first and then talk a little bit about it. I refer to this scripture often, but it says this starting at verse four. Deuteronomy, chapter six, chapter six, verse four. Thanks to Mr. McIntosh. You probably have it on your screen if you're watching the show right now. Hero Israel. The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons or to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up, you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Now, I refer to this passage of scripture all the time. Um, I'm hearing my children in my head right now. I say, yes, Daddy, you sure do. I do. And it's one of the scriptural sources that provides and describes the fundamental ingredients for disciple making. First and foremost, in order to be a disciple maker, you and I must be disciples ourselves. You can't give what you ain't got, you know. The Scripture commands, you shall love the Lord with all that you are, heart, soul, mind and strength. When Jesus quotes this in the NewSong Testament, he includes the word mind, but that concept is included in the Hebrew word for heart. All right, so in Matthew 22, when Jesus quotes this in response to the question, what is the greatest commandment? And he offers this. You shall love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And the second is likened, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. He's quoting from, in part, Deuteronomy, chapter 6. Then the other component, after being a disciple, you commit yourselves to make disciples. The most profound and enduring and necessary ingredient of disciple making is time. That's what he's communicating. When you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you rise, when you wake, it takes time. Disciples can't be made in a microwave. And so then the text goes on to say that this love of the Lord that you have as conveyed through his instruction and commands you. As you are teaching this diligently to your children, as you are loving the Lord this way, you shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. This is, uh, the source of scripture that the Lord Used, among other things, to move me personally, uh, in view of what I shared before from Ephesians 5 about having a mission for a family, things of that nature of developing a family mission statement and then writing it down to be put on display in my home. All right, so that's one of the things. You come to my home. People who've been in my home have seen this. We have a sign with our family mission on it. Because it's something that I want to, one, aspire to live personally, two, to teach to my children. And three, I want them to understand that God and his divine providence have allowed them to be born into a family where we have clarity concerning what our mission is. And so that everything that we do, we talk about this in m my home, the way we manage finances, the choices we made concerning the cultivation of the mind, and discipleship.

Burt Harper talks about cultivating and developing a family mission

I know some of you like saying what often we call it education, but I don't limit it to education as a common term is employed because education and academia are not synonymous terms. But the facts are that the cultivation of the mind is central to making disciples. This is why when Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6 say, you should love the Lord with your mind. Our mind should be invested in our love and our devotion, our commitment to the Lord's, and so to the Lord. And so that's why I describe it in that fashion. Having this statement of mission for our family is something that the Lord has moved me to do. And when we zoom out, many of many of you listening to me right now, you work in industries, you work in corporations, and what do you see? This is our corporate mission. This is the mission statement for the company. This is the vision statement for the company. Missions and vision statements for all kind of, ah, areas and industries and occupations and things. Why wouldn't we think we needed to have a mission and a vision for our families? One of the things that is abundantly clear, because the Lord tells us this in Scripture. Romans 12 is a great source. Verses 5 and 6. First Corinthians 12 is another great source. When the Lord says that his body is comprised of many members, there are many members of the body, just like in our physical bodies. Our physical bodies are made of, you know, skeletal system, muscular system, we have organs, we have all kind of appendages, we have all kind of features. It's one body, but different parts, many members. Well, the Lord uses that metaphor to describe his bride and as being a body comprised of many members. And then in Romans 12, it says that the members of the body are also members of one another. So that as members of the body, we have no need to seek to be identical to other members of the body. Similarly, the Lord develops families with different operations. You'll find that God gives some families. You just is consistent. They have a mind for engineering and mathematics and science. And then others, they have a mind for linguistics and language arts and things of that nature. And then another, you have this family. They seem to be all artists. You ever met a family, Everybody in the family can sing. You throw a rock, you hit one person. Do, re, mi, fa, sola, ti, do like, no matter, like an example that comes to mind my mind immediately because, thank God, my parents became believers the year that I was born. I grew up hearing the winans all the time. I like, can every winans sing? You know, God does that intentionally. And so when God gives us this, this, these abilities, these gifts, these talents and abilities, it's vitally important that we have clarity as to how they should be used. Thinking, for example, those who are musically inclined, how often have you seen this story? Over and over and over, oh, this person. They were raised in the church. They cultivated that gift to sing, to play to whatever in the church. But then what do they do? They go to the world, you know, like. Like Whitney Houston. All her families, her aunts, they all. They raised in the church. But they took Whitney Houston to the club to start singing. Could it be they didn't have clarity concerning a mission from God as to how those gifts were to be used? Clearly talented, blessed by God with talent. How is that talent utilized? I'm gonna have a conversation today about cultivating and developing a family mission. What should be included in a family's mission?

>> Maria Hamilton: I was afraid. I was scared. What to do? Everybody wanted me to have an abortion.

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>> Abraham Hamilton III: Shining light into the darkness. This is the Hamilton Corner on, um, American Family Radio.

Abraham Hamilton discusses developing a family mission on the Hamilton Corner

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner, Abraham Hamilton the third here. And I am joined by my favorite guest. Y' all know who it is to help this conversation. And I thought since we're talking about developing a family mission, um, that I would. Excuse me. Include the person that I am endeavoring to execute our family's mission with, which is my lovely wife, Maria Hamilton. Welcome back.

>> Maria Hamilton: Hey.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Hey.

>> Maria Hamilton: Thank you for having me.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: I think. I think some people are saying you come in on the show too much.

>> Maria Hamilton: Too much is harder. Me, I can just not.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: That's what Jeff said. I wasn't gonna tell you, but he said that before you came in. He's like. He did not say that. Um, you heard the conversation we had in the first segment. Segment concerning developing a family mission. And I want to add to the things I stated in the first segment. Developing the family mission and creating a statement is one thing, but it's another thing to live it.

>> Maria Hamilton: That's right.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And when I'm talking about developing a family mission, I'm not talking about talking about having a. A pretty well edited statement that does not reflect, uh, your demonstrable family values.

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah, yeah.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And when I buy demonstrable, I mean, if you have a statement on the wall, but that ain't what you living. There's a nullification and an undermining taking place concerning the family mission.

When you consider a family mission, what immediately comes to mind

But just to start the conversation, I want to have just as a threshold question, uh, when you consider a family mission and what should be involved, what immediately comes to your mind?

>> Maria Hamilton: So prayer. Right. Seeking God. Because it's one thing for us to create our own idea of what we, uh, our lives playing out as, you know, what our goals and dreams have been from our youth. Um, but it's another to actually seek the guidance of the Lord and the instruction of God and even his wisdom. He knows not only us individually, and he knows the depths of our hearts, but he knows who he joins us to in marriage. And he also knows the offspring that will come from us and through us. So it is wisest. And I always tell the kids this, how foolish it is to have the Creator of heaven and earth access to the one that has all power and all knowledge, and shelf him, like, put him on the shelf and not seek him for all that he has for us, for all that he wants us to know. And so for sure, the first thing would be praying and praying that God would Reveal and would show and would give, uh, words of wisdom and words of knowledge, things that we wouldn't know because he knows not only the future, but he knows the depths of our heart. So I would say prayer is important and then also a serious, uh, commitment. And it will flow from prayer, but a serious commitment to glorifying and honoring him, that at the end we would be able to say, I'm sorry, that we would be able to hear, well done, uh, thy good and faithful servant from Him. So it would be to honor him, to glorify him, to seek, uh, what he is calling us to, and that everybody will fulfill that in the family.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Mhm. When you say seek to glorify him and honor him, are you talking about in a more generalized sense, are you talking about in the development even of the family's mission?

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah, well, both, but specifically for the mission. Because the mission is to be lived, right? It's not just to be known or said or spoken. It's to be lived out. And it's not only gonna be lived out by you and I as a unit, it is going to be lived out through our children and their marriages and their offspring. Meaning, like the Lord has a generational purpose for the glorifying of his name, for the exaltation of his name, for the advancement of the kingdom. And so there is a. The mission is bigger than us individually. Right? So when I say honor and glorify him, I'm talking about God. What did you place us together for? What are you foreseeing that we accomplish? Um, not only in obedience, but in heart condition. Right. Because obedience flows from our heart that is committed to God. Um, so that's what I mean, just more like, Lord, what do you want me to do in this earth? Who do you want me to be? And then what do you want me to do? So that your name can be bright. Right? It can be shined bright through my testimony, my life.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And that really, uh, relates to some of the essential life questions as it pertains to developing and shaping a worldview. Who am I and what is my purpose? Um, do you think the family mission statement has to address that or, uh, term in terms of like life purpose, verbatim or. What do you think about that?

>> Maria Hamilton: No, I think what we've. And again, this is what we've sought to do. Um, God is the same, but it'll be different for each family. You know, the way that it's written out and everything. But I think for us, what the Lord has shown us is that the verbiage is what he has captured us with. Like, what. What we feel is like, the. The. The best way to explain why we are here, you know, and what we are doing together. What. What our. What our path is. The way that it's executed is different throughout different seasons of life, you know, in different ways. Uh, that it looks. God brings about different assignments and different things throughout life and grows and matures us, even within the mission, you know, um, so it'll look different as we live it out. But no, verbatim, it would just be like, what has the Lord revealed that we are placed on this earth to do? And as simple as being completely poured out, being emptied out for the sake of the kingdom of God, for the sake of advancing the Gospel. Um, and of course, that'll look differently in different setups, different ways.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And she referred to that. That's including a part of our family's mission. Hamilton family mission. The Goddess has called the Hamilton family to be poured out like drink offerings in service to the Lord's purposes in our time, in our generation. And we endeavor to communicate that to our children. And thankfully, God led in that direction because that doesn't. It's not meant to bind you to any particular, um, lane of exercise, but it is meant to provide a foundation and an anchor, to have a fundamental understanding that all that you are, that all that is being invested into you, meaning to our children, all the resources have been entrusted to your stewardship, all the insight and mind cultivation that you're receiving is not for consuming on your own personal selfish development, your own personal desires. God has provided all of that so that you could be, uh, poured out in serving of his purposes in your generation. Because each generation of Hamilton, uh, Lord willing, should the Lord tarry and he blesses us to have subsequent generations, each generation will have the requirement to live that out through how God has made them.

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah. Yeah. And I think sometimes I hear so the way that I think sometimes is because I didn't grow up in church and everything. And the way I came to know Christ, I always hear a lot of skepticism in the back of my head. It's not from God, but, you know, just like this idea of, like, how do you think. Why are you so sure that you can accomplish that? Right? Or, like, you and I would always. Or I would ask you more so early on our marriage, like, can we really raise children that are for real? Like, they're seriously committed to Christ. And that. That was such. Such, like, pie in the sky thing for me at the time, you know, and and, and again, we're not advocating for perfection, but what we are advocating for and encouraging the body to embrace is the reality that God desires a fully committed believer and not a lukewarm one. One that is on fire for his purposes, for his heart, for who he is, not only what he does and what he gives us, but who he is. And so can we raise, um, first of all, before we raise anybody, can we become that ourselves? Number one? Can we lay the foundation of our union on that? And then can we raise a generation of believers after us who are fully 100% committed in heart? Right. And so the answer is yes, committed in heart.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: But that heart commitment is tangibly demonstrable in the lives.

>> Maria Hamilton: Correct. In obedience and in pursuit. Yeah. And in hunger.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: And in the lives of us who basically are the uh, founding unit, if you will, for our progeny.

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah. We gotta live it.

The poured out reference challenges notion of nominal Christianity and a lukewarm concerning Him

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah. So it's. And um, please don't lose your train of thought. Uh, that conveying that and then putting that statement, you know, in print and then mounting it on the wall, it serves as a mirror. Mhm. Every day we walk in the house, we walk underneath that sign is a moment of introspection and challenge. Are we living, you and me?

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Are we living to be poured out like drink offerings? In the poured out expression. And it came from the Lord is based in the scripture. We have the scripture references as well. But the poured out reference challenges the notion of nominal Christianity and a lukewarm concerning Him. We don't want to just, you know, uh, give God tips with our lives. Mhm. Want to be completely sold out.

>> Maria Hamilton: That's right. Yeah. I think, I think we, we are growing up in a generation at a time period in America for the church for sure, where a lot of us claim the name of Christ and pacify ourselves with church attendance and even a, uh, you know. Right. Self righteousness really is what it is. But, but a righteousness according to our own understanding of doing what is right. But we are not living a sold out life that says, lord, for you I live, for you I die. Like, what are you calling me to? You know, full abandonment and full submission, uh, to not only his will, but his heart. You know, like it's one thing to say, lord, I'm going to obey you in all that you say, and that is good. But if you think about it, that is an overflow of a heart that is in love with Christ. Like I was telling the kids yesterday morning.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: You keep saying telling the kids. You talking about our children?

>> Maria Hamilton: Our children?

>> Bert Harper: Yes.

>> Maria Hamilton: Sorry, yes, um, yes, you were telling our children, I was telling our children yesterday morning that, uh, it is one thing for us to know what is right. And especially in our home where they know, our expectation, not only ours, but the Lord's expectation for every member of our family is obedience. Because if you love him, you'll obey him. Right. But what I was trying to help them to understand is that obedience does not come by convincing ourselves that we should love him, therefore we should obey him. We should love him, therefore we should obey him. If I'm not obeying him, if I don't want to obey him, if my flesh doesn't want to obey him, then therefore I'm not loving him, and that is bad. And so I should love him so that I can obey him. Right. And yes, we, uh, agree with those statements. But if we live like that solely, we are forcing ourselves to obey when our flesh is not purified and restored and redeemed and exercised and purified. I don't know the word to use there. You know what I mean? The reality is.

>> Speaker D: Yes.

>> Maria Hamilton: The reality is that we grow in love for the Lord because we submit ourselves to be sanctified. Right. So in every occasion where there is conviction, we say, lord, thank you, God, that you are not leaving me the same. Thank you, Lord God, that you have pointed out something in me that is filthy, that I should treat as filthy, that I want to reject. And Lord, would you help me remove that? You know, and when I'm selfish or when I am, um, fighting and when I'm getting angry and I'm sinning because of that anger, whatever it is I'm doing, Lord, help me to shed that, to be renewed, to be transformed. And the more we are transformed, the more we love God, and the more we start valuing the things of God and himself more, and the more we desire to obey. Obedience is a joyful act. It is not one that's like, oh, fine, because it's right, right. And so when we have that flipped, when we're just thinking about obedience as doing the right thing and forcing ourselves to do the right thing, it's not joyful. And it's supposed to be joyful because out of the wellness of the heart, the mouth speaks and we act.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Mhm. Right, yeah. And what you're communicating is there's a reality, um, that when God saves us, we don't automatically have new minds and new appetites, new desires. Uh, so there's a reality of being a believer at an earlier stage in your sanctification journey. To where you're doing the right thing, not because you want the right thing, but because the right thing is right. And you kind of strong arm your way into obedience. But there is a, what you're, what you're talking about. But even there, there's room for additional growth because God's desire is that we would, we would grow and mature to the place to where obeying him becomes our delight. Yes, yes, to where we delight. As Psalm 119 says, oh Lord, how I love your law. As at earlier stages, loving what law? I mean, I'm over here, I want my precious over here. But the Lord said I can't. So I guess I just can't.

>> Maria Hamilton: Right?

>> Abraham Hamilton III: But there's, there's growth and maturity and that's what you're saying, that, that articulation presents that before in this instance our children to say, hey, if this is where you are, there's more to grow to the place to where the being poured out like a drink offering becomes your, A, uh, willing, volitional, joy filled, love anchored, obedient service unto the Lord.

>> Maria Hamilton: And we gotta be honest, right? And that's, I think that's one of the main purposes of this episode is that we want to, to encourage fellow believers because once upon a time we were them, like we were trying to, um, honor God.

We want to discuss priorities in family mission when we come back from break

What I'm about to say next, my point here is to say let's really be introspective, let's really look at ourselves. I want us to encourage the listeners to dig deeper and really be honest about where they are in this. And it leads us to what we're talking about with priorities. Because we, you and I, meaning we did not start off in our individual walks with Christ fully 100% understanding everything that God has called us to and being 100% committed to all things that God, uh, desires for us. We are, we've grown in sanctification. And that's the journey for all believers, for all of us. And so it's just a time for us to continue. And for those who are listening to also continue to be introspective, to be honest with themselves that, that we really ask the real question that says, lord, are you my priority? Like, are you the center of my life? Like, do I, do I wake up for you? Do I live for you? Do I lay everything down and you are, I don't wanna cry, you are the treasure of my life. Like, are we there? And if we're not there, and let me say it, let me say it differently, if there is room to grow. Right. Because this is not about perfection. This is about a hunger and a thirst. Yeah. For him. Um, and so. And so that we would be honest. So then if, when we're honest, we realize either that we need to grow or that we're there, but we want more, because we should always want more because God is inexhaustible. Um, that we would continue to hunger, but that we would say, lord, I want you to be my greatest treasure. And I want you to be my children's greatest treasure. So then what am I going to devote my life to? But to raise a generation whose treasure is you versus wealth or even stability or even marital bliss, or there are other things that compete. Right. So I'm saying, lord, help us as a body to really grasp this and to. And to. To make the main thing. The main thing.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah. And what you're talking about in terms of priorities, and I know we can. Close to the end, to the break in this segment is describing and discussing and addressing what is not what we know intellectually. What should be.

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Because if you ask us, well, what should our family mission consist of, most people listening to this show, you'll be able to provide the right answer. What it should be. But what we're driving at is not what it should be, but what it truly is. And what, uh, we're talking about is not merely what we put down on a paper or put down on a sign, but what do we live and then what do we convey? Because the things that I continually go back to. You're talking about this love for the Lord, Lord, do I wake up for you? We should never attempt to graduate from the notion. In order to be disciple makers, we have to be disciples ourselves. And if we want to see these qualities cultivated and those coming behind us and those we're in relationship with and I'm seeing, including people outside of our family, even then, it has to be something that's, that's, that's, um, evident within us. The music is disrespectful. And I hear it playing. I know you hear it playing too. When we come back from this break, we want to pick up this conversation and discuss priorities in family mission. Because you mentioned a couple things. Stability in life, economic success, um, provision. These things are, are not bad necessarily. But could they become rivals? And could the family mission development process reveal comfortable idols that we've cultivated in our lives and in our hearts? We'll tackle that when we get back from this break.

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>> Maria Hamilton: If I hadn't saw the ultrasound, it would have been a totally different picture. She would never be here.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Your donation of $28 to PreBorn helps a woman to make a choice that she won't have to regret and gives her baby life. Help us rescue 5,000 babies this week. Go to afr.net or call 877-616-2396. That's 877-616-3396.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: The Hamilton Corner podcast and one minute call commentaries are available at afr.net back to the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.

Abraham Hamilton discusses priorities and family mission in the Hamilton Corner

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Welcome back to the Hamilton Corner. Abraham Hamilton iii, here with my lovely wife, who still makes my heart skip a beat when she enters the room. It's the truth. Maria Hamilton. Before we went to the break, babe, we were having a conversation. You brought up, uh, the concept that either, uh, you did or I did. I can't remember which one of us did, but, uh, priorities and family mission. We live in a world, let's just be real. We got to make money, people need to eat, we need, you know, electricity, we need warmth in our homes, things of that nature. How do we reconcile which, the concepts that should be tangibly demonstrable in our family's mission with the articulation that you provided in the last segment about, um, Jesus being our prize and our hearts overflowing with devotion and love and commitment to him and that being tangibly, uh, evident in our lives, uh, reconciling that with the realities of everyday life that we have to live and things that we often discuss in our home, the whole Harvard versus Heaven phenomenon. How do we reconcile prioritizing properly in cultivating family mission?

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah, I think it's just, um, the foundational perspective, like the foundational ideas that govern how we execute, um, our lives or how we live them. M. So, like, for example, when we think about, uh, let's say, let's say, let's say we are called, let's say you and I were called to open a business and start a business, right? And, and, you know, we're entrepreneurs, that, that's a lot of weight on your shoulders. But then if I'm helping, you know, on our shoulders for our family, right? Sustenance, um, you know, money and even, even Long term. Right. You have a lot of responsibilities. If you're an entrepreneur, I understand that that feels like, that is like the end. Uh, you have to devote everything to it because if not, you don't eat and your children don't eat. Right. So I can understand that feeling like such an important commitment that you're giving your whole everything to it because you are so concerned about your stability and your, in the provision for your household and for your children. So it's not like you're ignoring your children when you're devoting your whole everything to, to, to a startup, if you will. Right. Um, but I think if we go back and we, and we lay the foundation properly, right. Instead of looking at the business and the success of it and the provision that comes from it, and then the stability in the life that you can provide for your children, let's start at the foundation of who is God, what has he called us to and what does he desire? If we start there, then the business will fit in its proper place. Right. So like, the foundation will be who is God? God is the creator of heaven and earth, the supreme being, the one that holds all knowledge, all truth, and who is love. Right. He, the God of all eternity, has chosen to reveal himself to you, to me, to everyone listening. So this God has a perfect plan for your life, but it's not just for your best life ever. It is literally God has, has an eternal purpose for all humanity and you, because God has rescued you from sin and saved you, Praise God. Now you have the ability to have the wherewithal, the knowledge to come in and say, lord, then, uh, use me. Like, where do I fit? What is it that you, that you're calling me to? And let's say he does reveal an entrepreneur spirit in you, and he gifted you with this, and he's giving you an idea and you're running with this idea, right? Well, when the business, if you look at the business from God's perspective, God has originated the idea. He has put in you, the talents he has given you, the wisdom. He continues to guide you and lead you in this business. And the business becomes secondary to your heart's treasure. You are, uh, living and doing this for the glory of God. God will get all the credit. God will get the benefit. God will grow it. God will end it. God has the veto power over all of it. And then God is so faithful and so good that he will ensure that you're stable, that your family is cared for, that your children are served. So then the business does not Become, uh, a competitor with your, raising your children. See, it doesn't become, either I devote my whole life to this business or I disable my children from home. That should never be a thing that we that compete against each other. If the Lord called you to start a business where. That's the only example I can think of right now, that feels like such a weight that it feels like either I do this or I do that. Right. Um, the Lord desires that we become sold out for him and that we raise a generation of believers who are sold out for Him. Not just that we are pleased like Hezekiah with, well, I'm good and it's going to be good in my generation, man. These children, these children, um, are going to be adults one day. And our greatest treasure should be that they know God. That they know him, not that they're perfect. That they know him and that God will become their treasure as well. Now can we force that? No. Can we model it? Yes. Can we live it before them? Yes. And can we encourage them and do everything in our power to obey God so that they can. That the Lord can capture their hearts? Right. And that he, uh, will become their treasure? So I'm just saying that to use as an illustration to your question, that our priorities need to be in the right order. Like if the foundation is God and Him being our treasure and him leading and directing and sanctifying us and training us and showing us and giving us dreams and visions and guidance, then everything else falls into its proper place. And you won't have this competing. Either I get devote my time to this, or I devote my time to this. And when they're both important, but in their proper place, they are as, uh, the most fruitful.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Mhm.

Family mission can aid in fortifying oneself and family against idolatry

So what you just described really articulates that family mission can aid in fortifying oneself and one's family against idolatry.

>> Maria Hamilton: Yeah.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Because we, let's just be clear. We never make idols out of stuff we don't like. We never make idols out of stuff that's, you know, easily cast off. Usually things that become idols, practically become idols are things that we enjoy. You know, using your, your, your example, hypothetical of an entrepreneurial, uh, entrepreneur example that uh, having a business started from scratch and, and it begins to be successful and is thriving. That feels good. That's enjoyable. Yeah, that, that's a wonderful thing. But that wonderful thing can get out of place, can get out of pocket. If that wonderful thing becomes the wonderful thing. Yeah, practically the wonderful thing, it consumes everything. But having clarity concerning family mission can aid us in being fortified against that. Having family mission anchored in scripture, uh, rooted in scripture, um, can aid us in not allowing the wonderful thing to become a wonderful thing to become the wonderful thing. So now then it becomes a rival competitor.

>> Maria Hamilton: That's right. That's right. We always have to be, uh, watchful of that. Um, and that's why God is so good. He convicts us of sin. So when we are elevating anything, even family, even children, to the pedestal of God, then we have to repent and God will help us.

We settle for our children being good enough, right?

I think one of the things that we also see in our culture, though, uh, especially right in the region of the nation that we live in, in the Bible Belt or whatever, the reality is that we, we really convince ourselves that, that I'm trying to say it properly, that our children can be good enough. Like, we settle for, like, I just want them to be good kids. Like, I just want them to not end up on drugs or in the streets or criminals or in jail. And then it's just like, um, it's just good enough. So then, then everything else becomes more important, really. Because if that's the standard that you. That we set for our children, I just want them to be good enough. Uh, I turned out good enough, right? We turned out good. That's what we say. Let's be honest. That's what we say. Uh, we. I turned out good enough. I went to public school and I turned out good enough. Or, you know, it wasn't that bad. They're gonna have to learn some way. They're gonna have to learn how the world is. We got all these excuses. And the bottom line is when you. When you peel it back the layers, we are just satisfied with them being good enough, right? Because if I have to devote my. My everything to make sure. Making sure that I put food on the table through a business or whatever it is, then I have to then make sure that my kids get the best second place. So then the best second place, they're going to be all right, it's good enough. And then we're good with, like, this is thriving. I'm, um, making sure they got food on the table. I'm making sure that we have a stable life, that they have what I didn't have growing up, and that. That's good enough, man. That's not the heart of God. God doesn't want good enough. God wants complete commitment 100% from all of us. Not just from the kids, from all of us. You know? So I just think that's an area of challenge.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah. The children have what I didn't have materially in terms of things, stuff and possessions.

>> Maria Hamilton: Um, but even, but even if you, I mean, we can add, um, mental health, like, we can add emotional stability as well. Like we may have come from trauma, you know, our fathers or mothers, whatever, didn't do. And so then we, you know, we don't want that for our kids. So we want better for them. So yes, financial material, but also we want them to not have a father who's abandoned them. Or we want, you know, so all those things, even in that you can have the proper order in the priorities. You know what I mean? And so I feel like the Lord is saying to us and through us, I, uh, hope for the glory of God, is that we would be so committed to the Lord that he dictates what is most important and that our priorities are set in his order versus in our humanistic, in our own humanistic, um, thoughts, you know, our ways. I feel like his way is better.

You posited being posited good enough as being a rival to biblical standards

>> Abraham Hamilton III: So you, you, you posited being posited good enough as being a rival to what I would describe as being poured out like drink offerings in service of the Lord's purposes. Let's dig into that a little bit because that could be a jolting conversation for people as we're talking now. Because if you see the scripture, I, I never, I've never read in scripture where the Lord says anything, uh, in terms of, uh, that's a good enough Christianity.

>> Maria Hamilton: Not at all.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: You know, um, and, and that, that good enough disposition often, ah, manifests itself in a kind of a nominal, uh, churchianity to where there are churched traditions that are cultivated, but they're not hearts that are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. So how does, in your view, the good enough phenomenon rival being poured out like drink offerings in service to the Lord and his purposes in our time?

>> Maria Hamilton: Uh, well, yeah, it rivals it because when we determine what the standards are. But when you hear standards, don't just think rules. Like, when we're talking about standards, it's not just like rules, dos and don'ts. It's heart condition. Well, heart condition, heart condition that then, uh, overflows into actions, into life goals, into how it all manifests. Right? But like our heart condition, when we set a low standard and when we say that's good enough because that's a good kid because he's respectful, or it's a good kid because he's not like the bully of the school, that's good enough. We are humanistically Setting that in place. And that is going to dictate how we behave and how we act and what are, what is most important. Guys, if I'm pleased, let me tell you. If I'm pleased with my son, who's a rule follower, and I just let him continue to just be a rule follower. Because when I'm seeing him, he is doing everything I asked of him to do. And he says, yes, ma' am and yes, sir and no, ma', am, no sir. And I'm satisfied with that because that's good enough. But I am not examining his heart and not asking him, son, how are you doing? Like, how's your prayer life? What are you reading in Scripture? What has the Lord showing you? You seem downcast. What's going on? Is the Lord showing you something? And he opens up and he says, I'm feeling convicted right now, and I don't know what to do with this. We are helping him in his sanctification journey. I am not satisfied. I'm not satisfied with leaving our kids good enough. And we should not be, because that's not the heart of God. You know, when David, um, wanted to build a temple for the Lord, he had a genuine heart. Like, he wanted God to have a place in Israel, in Jerusalem that was like the place of the presence of God and stable and secure and all could come to worship God there. That is a good desire, like starting a business and making it make sure that it's financially stable and all that. Those are good things. But God told him, you're not the one. That's your son. But you know what he did before he died? He prepared everything so that his son can build it, right? So he's so convinced first that the temple is going to be built that God wants Solomon to build it, not David. He was so convinced that he prepared and did everything so that Solomon can take it and run with it. So how dare us as parents, right, declare within ourselves that our kids are just good enough and we don't prepare ourselves, our lives, our everything, to make sure that they take it and run beyond what we can run and that they can run hard after the Lord, like, can do what the Lord called them to do, you know? And so, yes, it involves giftings and talents and resources and the things that God puts in place for them to thrive. But man, we have to make sure that we don't set the standard or set the standard ourselves and that we acknowledge that what should be our priorities come from God, not from our own humanistic understanding.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Yeah, so.

Different children have different dispositions, so assessing heart condition is challenging

So when you describe the phenomenon of having a child who's a rule follower externally, um, that's often a little bit more challenging to discern heart condition versus a child that has an outward disposition of rebellion, because you can see that more clearly. But if you have a child who's a rule follower, the external rule following isn't always and is not automatically evidence of hearts that are devoted to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Because different children have different dispositions. Correct. Uh, but you're saying I'm not satisfied with solely assessing your external conduct. That my responsibility as a parent is to be invested, to serve you in a manner sufficiently to cultivate heart transformation in the external rule following alone is an indicative of what actually is present in the heart.

>> Maria Hamilton: But that's all throughout Scripture, though. That's not my idea. That's not because I want a kid that's, like, for real on fire and can show off, you know, that he's really on fire for the Lord. No, this is the heart of God. All throughout Scripture, he says, I desire a committed, fully submitted heart. A heart that loves me, not just that does the right thing. A heart that loves me. So we are to love God, and we are to train our children and others around us to love God.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Family mission is a tool that God gives us to aid us in following his purposes and prioritizing that properly and often reflect on the fact that when we have young children in our home, we don't have them forever. So what. What we must do, we must do swiftly, we must do early. George Barna talked to talks to us about, uh, the early stage at which worldviews are crystallized in hearts and minds. And so it is imperative for us one, to be disciples who love the Lord with all of our hearts, our souls, our minds and our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our nearest neighbors, guys. Are those right? In our own homes.

>> Maria Hamilton: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

>> Bert Harper: M.