What comes first, family or God?

[nobspeople]

The below link is lengthy (about 60 minutes), but speaks, in part, about how one's religious beliefs in a religion can cause families to fracture. We see this happen in families of no religion, Scientologists, Mormons, Catholics, JWs (as in this example) etc.
While this doesn't always happen, at what point does one (or should one) put their belief system before their family?
Does God command such a thing, or is it something the religion dictates only?

[DieAmartyr]

We are to chase God first and foremost. God before and above any and everything. We have a jealous God. We do not want Him to ever get the wrong impression of our true desires through our actions.
For example, watching t.v. instead of reading the Bible. God may sse this as you choosing the world over Him. This makes God sad, them He gets angry.

[1213]

...
While this doesn't always happen, at what point does one (or should one) put their belief system before their family?
Does God command such a thing, or is it something the religion dictates only?
...

Interesting thing is that Communism (socialism) seems to do the same.

In Biblical point of view God is before anything else. Reason why I think it is good is that it means person doesn’t reject God’s commandments that are basically in “love your neighbor as yourself”. If person would rejects that because of family or other reason, it would not be good, because it would lead to evil actions.

[nobspeople]

We are to chase God first and foremost. God before and above any and everything. We have a jealous God. We do not want Him to ever get the wrong impression of our true desires through our actions.
For example, watching t.v. instead of reading the Bible. God may sse this as you choosing the world over Him. This makes God sad, them He gets angry.

I 'chased' God for decades. Nothing came of it. So I gave up. Never been happier
But that doesn't work for some, but does for others.

[Miles]

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...............................................................................SO GOD IT IS!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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[Overcomer]

It starts with God. This verse is key:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matt. 6:33)

If you get right with God, then "rightness" in the rest of life follows, including your relationships with other people. A believer filled with the Holy Spirit has God as helper, guide, counsellor, etc. and, while no Christian is perfect, he/she does have a link to the Lord who always wants to bless us in every area of our lives and share his wisdom on how to live life well.

There are, of course, religious systems that demand loyalty and obedience to them just as you have rightly noted, nobspeople. They are legalistic and condemnatory in nature and suck the joy right out of any attempt to connect with God. And I would venture to say that they really have nothing to do with God at all. And it is no surprise to me that people walk away from them wounded and unwilling to have anything to do with God. And that's really sad.

But for Christians, it isn't religion that's important, it's the person of Jesus Christ and the relationship with God through him by the power of the Holy Spirit. For Christians there is no condemnation in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Jesus can and does revolutionize every aspect of a believer's life, including his/her relationships, if he/she listens to him and works with him to do so.

[Miles]

It starts with God. This verse is key:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matt. 6:33)

Curious, do you have any evidence this works? Because I know quite a few people who are just about as right with god as a person could be, yet continue to undergo a whole lot of misery. On the other hand, we all know of people who have gone through life with their plate full, but aren't particularly connected with any god at all.

What gives?



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[Overcomer]

Miles wrote:

Curious, do you have any evidence this works? Because I know quite a few people who are just about as right with god as a person could be, yet continue to undergo a whole lot of misery. On the other hand, we all know of people who have gone through life with their plate full, but aren't particularly connected with any god at all.

What gives?

I hear what you're saying, Miles. Nobody gets a perfect life here on earth, not even Christ's followers. That's because we live in a fallen world where sin and evil exist and those things affect everybody, including Christians. The devil is real and he and his minions are very busy trying to interfere with everything and everybody -- especially believers. He may not be too concerned about some non-Christians, that is, the ones who pose no threat to him. But living in this world is a constant battle for everyone.

Asaph noted the same thing you did -- some people who have nothing to do with God seem to be doing well. He even wrote a psalm about it:

Psalm 73

1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

I can attest to the fact that my life with Jesus is better than without him and I know many people who will tell you the same. Life is challenging and difficulties happen in everyone's life. God doesn't promise to remove all of our troubles, but he does promise to help us through them, no matter the outcome. That has been my experience time and time again.

But I know there are people who feel that God has let them down and that's why they walk away from him and from the Church. I get that. I can only encourage people to keep taking everything to God including their anger, their bitterness, their frustration, etc. because is a big God and he can handle it. It's like any relationship -- nothing is resolved if communication dries up between the two parties. He'd rather have people come to him hopping mad than not at all. I have certainly gone to him that way by times and he always responds with love.

[Overcomer]

P.S. When the Bible stays we are to hate our parents, the Greek word doesn't mean "detest" or "despise" or "abhor". It means "esteem them less". We are to esteem God above all others. As I noted, put God first, as the priority, because if you get right with him, it will be the first step in getting into right relationships with other people. But remember that it takes two to tango, meaning that not everyone will respond rightly to you.

[brunumb]

It starts with God. This verse is key:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matt. 6:33)

Curious, do you have any evidence this works? Because I know quite a few people who are just about as right with god as a person could be, yet continue to undergo a whole lot of misery. On the other hand, we all know of people who have gone through life with their plate full, but aren't particularly connected with any god at all.

What gives?

As soon as you take God/gods out of the picture everything falls naturally into place.