Neville Turley

"You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself.  He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord.”  Ephesians 2:20-21

There is a vast difference between simply providing a house for your family and giving them a solid foundation with spiritual values.

The Bible gives no details of the actual family house in Nazareth where Mary and Joseph lived but it does reveal their moral standards. They fled with the baby Jesus and sought asylum in Egypt to save him being killed by King Herod's soldiers. They only returned to Nazareth after Herod had died and it was safe for them to do so.

They were model parents. They loved, cared and worried about the wellbeing of their children.  Thanks to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was well versed in the Scriptures even as a child. They knew from the events that had taken place at his birth that Jesus was very special.  Mary often thought deeply about that time.

Jesus grew up in a godly home. The family worshipped regularly at the local synagogue and every year went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.

Joseph and May were often amazed and astonished by Jesus. They did not always understand him, but they did not let him rule the roost (that time had not yet come). 

Luke records that the boy Jesus went missing after the Passover Festival in Jerusalem. His worried parents eventually found him in the Temple, and he returned with them to Nazareth where he was obedient to them. 

It was significant that at the beginning of his ministry Jesus went to his home town and on the Sabbath went to the synagogue, as usual. Sadly, his hometown rejected him and he went to Capernaum to Simon Peter's home from where he based his ministry.

The home we create for our children is of vital importance. “Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.” (Proverbs 22:6)

If we give our children a solid Christian foundation then by God's grace they will be shaped to the likeness of God's Son and you cannot hope for anything better for them, than that. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father we pray for our children and for those to whom they are entrusted. May Christ be their cornerstone on which their hope is founded.  Amen