Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Ingredients of a Christian Home

PEACE

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”

A truly Christian home is a place of peace with the peace of God ruling in people’s hearts. It is not a battleground, but a rufuge. It is not a place of fighting, but a place of fellowship. It is a place fortified against the Devil.

In God’s Word, we read about peace with God and the peace of God.

Jesus Christ was sent forth to earth, and He gave Himself on the cross. He bled and died for our sins, tasting death for every man. God punished sin in the body of His own Son when He became sin for us. He died, was buried, and rose from the dead. When we ask Him to forgive our sin and by faith receive Him as our Savior, we are born into God’s family. We become children of God, and we have peace with God.

However, having peace with God does not mean that we have the peace of God. Look closely at a passage of Scripture in Philippians 4:5-7,

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The world cannot understand this peace. Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” This means that nothing blows them off course. The world cannot understand this kind of peace.

If your home is a place of battling and fighting, it is not a Christian home according to the standard of God’s Word. You may be a worker in the church and still not have a Christian home. A Christian home is a place where the peace of God rules.

THANKFULNESS

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

In a Christian home we find thankfulness. It is so easy to become ungrateful. It is so easy to gripe and complain. We desire everything to be right. We want everyone to live right and do right. We allow ourselves to become critical, and criticism is contagious. It leads to an ungrateful spirit.

In a Christian home, people do not gripe about what they have to eat; they thank God they have something to eat. They do not gripe about what they have to wear; they thank God they have something to wear. They do not murmur and complain all the time about one family member or another; they just thank God that they are still alive, living under the same roof and enjoying one another’s company. Be thankful for the time that you are together as a family on this earth. Enjoy it.

When you come to the end of life, those days you wasted are gone. How many of those days would you like to get back at the end? No one will get any of them back. A Christian home is ruled by the peace of God, and it is a place of thankfulness.

THE WORD OF GOD

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.”

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:10, “Wisdom is profitable to direct.” Many homes do not have God’s direction because they do not have the Word of God dwelling in them richly. You do not have a Christian home if you do not have it full of the Bible. Hide God’s Word in your heart. Place Bible verses and Bible plaques on the walls.

Take the time to read the Bible with your family. Emphasize the things of God. This will help you and your children as you seek to rear them for the glory of God. Take time to read God’s Word, and pray with your family each day.

Many say they have a Christian home, but if these ingredients: peace, thankfulness, and the Word of God are not found, then we cannot call it a Christian home. These ingredients may seem simple, but they make a world of difference.
By: Dr. Clarence Sexton

2 comments:

Dave said...

Great post again, I saw on Bro. Scott's blog that you your start a street preaching ministry. That GREAT!! Let me know how it go. We ( some men from my church and aother church in across town and me) are going to a run Saturday and hold signs, banners, and some of the men are going to street preach!

Dave

Theresa's Notes said...

Very well said. And very true.