STRATFORD CHURCH OF CHRIST COLUMN
If Christ lives in your home, it will become obvious to all of those around you. Such cannot be hidden when you and your family love Him with all of your heart and soul.
Jesus said, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment,” (Mark 12:30).
Having Christ in our home shows that we realize that Christian living is far more than an occasional situation. It is a way of life.
A part of loving Christ concerns the love that you have for your spouse, and the responsibilities you have to your marriage vows. When we marry, we pledge a most solemn vow. God expects us to be true to our vow of faithfulness and love must be honored. It causes us to treat our mate with kindness, courtesy, consideration and thoughtfulness. The Bible says, “Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband,” (Ephesians 5:33).
In our current society, many couples find it easy to dismiss the idea of marriage that was instituted by God. Instead of vows, responsibility and commitment, many simply live with someone, never considering what God says about fornication. Hebrews 13:4 teaches, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
Colossians 3:18-21 adds, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
The home that seeks Christ, seeks to have the right set of values and virtues with our spouse, and to instill these in our children as well. We must take a serious view of life. We must realize that each of us has a living soul. This includes our children.
How we teach them concerning spiritual matters will help determine whether they will live for God or not. This is one of a parent’s greatest responsibilities. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
We must prepare our children for this life. But it is especially important to prepare them for eternity! We prepare our children in three ways: by example, by teaching and by training. All three of these are imperative. They demand first of all that we have taken Christ into our homes, and that we are faithfully following His teachings.
In this way we set an example for our home. We must not only teach our children about the word of God, but also provide them opportunities to put these teachings into practice. This is training.
The Bible helps us to understand that following this pattern works. Paul said of Timothy, “I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also,” (2 Timothy 1:5).
Later in chapter 3, Paul continued, “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 3:14, 15).
Christ being in our home needs to be the foundation of our society. In order to have Christ in your home, He must first be in you! Christ will be in you when you obey His commands. Jesus taught, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned,” (Mark 16:16). I urge you to be obedient to the Lord, according to His teachings. We are always available to help with your spiritual needs.