BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Now be pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it
may continue forever in Your sight; for You, O Sovereign
Lord, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of
Your servant will be blessed forever.”
(2 Samuel 7:29)
MEDITATION:
Whenever we buy a house, one of the first things we want to do is
make sure we have adequate insurance on the structure. If we are
in a flood zone, we check to ensure we have special flood insurance
(since it is not covered in a typical homeowner’s insurance policy).
We confirm the house has been inspected for termites, and we buy
a termite protection agreement to make sure the house is not being
silently destroyed from the inside out.
All of these are good and responsible actions, but there is one more
important one we should consider. We need to ask the Lord to bless
our home. With His blessings, we can develop a better defense against
the worldly things that destroy families. The family is the primary and
most important unit of society.
Imagine a world where everyone lives in a Christian home. Of course,
we know that’s not the case and some children grow up in a home where
their parents don’t set a Christian example for their children. Some children
grow up in a family where they never see their parents worshipping the Lord.
Some are raised in a home where the parents send them off to church, but they
never attend themselves.
This can result in the children developing a wrong impression about having
a relationship with the Lord. Statistics have shown that when children don’t
see a total commitment to the Lord by their parents, many of them will drift
away from the church and have no interest in ever attending again.
When children fail to see an obedient example of worship from their parents,
some will miss out on developing an understanding of the importance of having
a fellowship with the Lord. They can also miss out on knowing the blessing of
worshipping with other believers, and the how Christians support each other.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and
all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:24-25)
Some try to justify their reasons for either never attending, or ceasing to
attend church. Does it mean that they are not believers? Only God knows
if that’s the case. But it could be an indication that if they are believers,
they have allowed selfish desires to have more control of their lives than
humble obedience to the Lord. Partial obedience includes disobedience.
Some who choose not to worship with other believers could be overlooking
the reason for attending church (which is to spend time praising God with
other members of their Godly family). Some may justify their disobedience
by passing judgment on those who do attend. As an example, some will
claim that those attending are hypocrites who have less faith than they do.
This type of judgement is reserved for God and Jesus warns us about being
judgmental of others.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same
way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
(Matthew 7:1-2)
If God were to sound a trumpet calling for all believers to come
to His house, we can guess that many who are not going would
scramble to go. Why? Because they would know God was there
waiting on them.
That is exactly what He is doing now – waiting for His children
to come to visit Him, praise Him, and worship Him with other
believers. He may not be blowing a trumpet, but His Word clearly
outlines His expectations of those who want to grow closer to Him.
It is dangerous when we are guilty of creating our own limitations
for obedience.
For the family and the home to have spiritual influence, we need to
adhere to God’s standards. The Bible calls for self-control, discipline,
obedience, and recognition of authority. If children don’t learn this at
home, there is a higher probability they will go out into society without
the proper attitude toward authority, law, and the biblical principles
established by God. There are exceptions, but the averages tell us that
the child is ‘largely what the home has made him or her’.
Children often learn at an early age what a Christian home with Christian
parents looks like. If we want to provide a Godly home for our children, we
should put the Lord above them, and fully instruct them in the ways of the
Lord through our words and actions.
Start children off on the way they should go, and
even when they are old they will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)
If they see that we have a partial commitment to the Lord, then
they are more likely to have a partial commitment themselves.
This lack of commitment can spill over into other areas of their
lives and possibly impact their jobs, their family relationships,
their education, etc.
As Christians, God wants us to create a home that is blessed by Him
and to teach our children the importance of humble obedience. When
we demonstrate how important worshipping God is to us, we can have
a positive spiritual impact on others (and especially on the members of
our own family).
Our children are not interested in hearing us ‘talk’ worship, they want
to see us ‘do’ worship. Do children learn better how to drive a car if we
tell them, or if we show them? It’s an old adage which still rings true
today, “Actions speak louder than words”.
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I
know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor
hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So,
because you are lukewarm (neither hot nor cold)
I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
(Revelation 3:14-16)
ACTION:
Where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Have you
established limits for how many of His commands you will obey?
Do you have a tendency to become defensive, and possibly angry,
whenever someone talks about the importance of worshipping God?
If so, then this could be a battle you are fighting regarding obedience.
Paul tells us about his disobedience in some areas.
I do not understand what I do. For what I
want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.
(Romans 7:16)
For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I
do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do
what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it. So, I find this
law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is
right there with me.
(Romans 7:19-21)
We can see the frustration Paul had with himself for his failure
to be obedient. We don’t know if he tended to blame others for
his failures, but we can see the anger he had with himself. Guilt
can trigger any number of angry reactions.
Paul knew there were things that he should be doing, but evil (sin)
kept getting in his way. Did he just ‘roll over’ and accept it as being
the way he was made? No, he sought and found the help he needed.
Thanks be to God, who delivers
me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:25)
When we read about Paul’s frustrations regarding his obedience
to the Lord, we are reminded that we need to actively seek the
same source for overcoming our own sins of disobedience.
“Nothing will change if we do nothing”
Read Psalm 91 to discover God’s promise of protection.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I now realize the importance of Your
blessings on my home and family. I also understand the
influence I have on my family by my words and actions.
Forgive me if I have allowed my selfishness to overrule
Your commands to all believers. Create in me a new desire
to be obedient to all Your commands, and to realize that
Your commands are not a buffet where I can choose the
ones I want to obey and ignore the other ones. Forgive me
if I have reacted defensively to the whisper of the Holy Spirit
through others. Help me to realize my emotions and any type
of negative responses are a result of knowing what I should
be doing, but choosing to disobey some of Your commands.
Forgive me for any failures to develop a Godly environment
in my home, and create in me a joyful new life that includes
total obedience to You. I love You so much and I want others
to see my love for You by the way I respond to Your commands.”
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