What a delight it is to belong to a warm, close-knit family! Stor‧ge′ was the Greek word often used to refer to the natural affection that exists between members of the same family. Christians strive to show love to members of their family. Paul prophesied that in the last days, people in general would have “no natural affection.”*—2 Tim. 3:1, 3.
The natural love that should exist between family members is sadly lacking in today’s world. Why do so many expectant mothers have abortions? Why do so many families show no interest in their aged parents? Why does the divorce rate continue to skyrocket? The answer really is, Lack of natural affection.
Furthermore, the Bible teaches that “the heart is more treacherous than anything else.” (Jer. 17:9) Family love involves our heart and our feelings. Interestingly, though, Paul used a‧ga′pe to describe the love that a husband should show for his wife. Paul compared that love to the love that Christ shows for the congregation. (Eph. 5:28, 29) This love is based on principles laid down by Jehovah, the Originator of the family arrangement.
Genuine love for family members moves us to show interest in our aged parents or motivates us to shoulder responsibility for our children. It also motivates parents to give their children loving discipline when necessary and prevents parents from acting out of mere sentimentality, which often results in an overly permissive attitude toward children.—Eph. 6:1-4.
[Footnotes]*
The expression “no natural affection” is a translation of a form of stor‧ge′ with the negative prefix a, meaning “without.”—See also Romans 1:31.
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