Six Traitsof Strong Families

God’s Wisdom from Proverbs

Family Breakdown

• We continually hear of family breakdown in the world (11:29)

– Breakdown due to inner weakness

– Breakdown due to outward pressure

• God gives us the wisdom to build strong families (3:33; 12:7; 14:1,11)

Strong Families

Strong Religious Faith in God

• Strength comes from faith

• Focus on God in the home (1:7; 9:10; 15:16)

– Bible reading (2:1-5; 23:23,26)

– Prayer (15:8,29)

– Worship

Strong Families

Strong Inward Character

• Strength comes from application of God's word throughout age

• A man of honorable character (20:29; 27:21; 29:3)

• A woman of honorable character (11:16; 12:4; 19:13-14; 31:10ff)

• A youthful honorable character (10:1; 13:1; 15:5,20; 28:7)

Strong Families

Strong Love Within the Family

• Strength comes from commitment

• Love for one another’s welfare (10:12; 15:17; 30:23)

• Avoid selfishness that destroys family life (12:15)

• Give heart-felt appreciation, affection, and praise (4:3-4; 23:24-25; 25:11)

• Avoid harsh / critical words that tear down (12:8; 15:4; 17:1; 21:9,19)

Strong Families

Strong Love Within the Family

• Cultivate good words that will build up (15:23; 18:13,20-21)

• Angry words tear down (15:1-2,14,17,28)

• Children loving parents (19:26; 20:20; 23:22-25; 30:11,17)

Strong Families

Strong Discipline in the Home

• Strength comes from training

• Instructive discipline (3:11-12; 13:1; 15:5; 19:18; 22:6)

• Corrective discipline (13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15,17)

Strong Families

Strong Ties That Bind

• Strength comes from spending enjoyable time together

• Positive interaction builds bonds and ties (4:10-11; 5:15ff; 23:26)

• Excessive business separates and suffocates family ties (27:8)

Strong Families

Strong Defenses

• Strength comes by building defenses

• Righteous principles help us overcome life’s difficulties (24:10,16)

• Spiritually healthy families pull together in times of crisis (4:18-19; 17:17)

Six Traits of Strong Families

Faith

Character

Love

Discipline

Ties

Defenses

Strong Families

• God wrote the manual on strong families (24:3-4)

• Let us build in ourselves and our children the strength it takes to make it to heaven!