A Place Called Home
Today’s Verse:
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. ~Proverbs 24:3-4
What thoughts come to your mind when you think of your house and home? Do you think of it as your personal refuge? Do you think of it as your place of privacy, rest, and comfort? For me personally, there’s no place like home. Coming home means being with your family. Coming home implies love, acceptance, nurturing, patience, caretaking, and closeness. Home is not the dwelling itself. Home is the people who reside in it and what they do for each other. Solomon had much to say about homes and what makes it stable and satisfying. Let us consider this morning God’s perfect counsel on what makes a home.
Home must be a place where there is the divine PRESENCE.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain,” Ps. 127:1. We must look to and depend upon the Lord to build our homes. Without the Lord, our homes will shake and tumble when the winds and rain of adversity blow our way. The Lord builds a home where there is godly leadership. The Lord builds a home where the Word of God is preeminent (Deut. 6:4-8). The Lord builds a home where prayer is emphasized. The Lord builds a home where husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church, and wives are in submission to their husbands. The Lord’s presence must be in our homes.
Home must be a place where there is a devoted PRIORITY.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Josh. 24:15. When Joshua spoke these words, Israel had taken possession of their land of inheritance. The Lord had given them rest from their enemies: however, they were still surrounded by pagan nations that worshipped idols. Joshua made an emphatic and public statement: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” The priority of Joshua and his subsequent generations was that they would worship God and serve Him as their highest priority. In many of our homes today, God is not our highest priority. Our homes must give evidence that our love and desire is to serve the Lord.
Home must be a place of where there is diligent PRUDENCE.
Solomon said, “Through wisdom is a house builded and by understanding it is established,” Prov. 24:3. We cannot build our homes on worldly wisdom. Instead, our homes must be built on the wisdom of the Word. Our homes must be the headquarters for godly training. They must be a place where instruction and vision for lives are cast. Communication among family members is essential in order to have a healthy and thriving family. Spouses must give their hearts to one another. Children must give their hearts to their parents. The fear of the Lord and faith in God must be the spirit by which we awake and live our days by. The daily scripture reading is to be the source for our wisdom, insight, and know-how. We must all walk within our homes with a perfect heart. We must shun evil associations, thoughts, and philosophies.
A place called home can only be home when we build on the Lord and His infallible Word. Home is not home without the Lord.
Have a wise God Morning!