Articles
“Home Makeover”
God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master's will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God, give us Christian homes!
A good home does not happen by accident. True, a Christ-centered home is a gift from God, but it is a gift that is prayerfully sought, patiently cultivated and faithfully protected. Don’t think that just because the New Testament teaching on building a Christian home is easy to comprehend that it is easy to implement (Eph. 5:22-6:9; Col. 3:18-4:1). Like watching a 30-minute home makeover show on HGTV, what may look relatively painless is much more challenging and costly when we pick up our tools and get into the actual work. Note three things that a spiritual home makeover requires.
Christian homes require a divine blueprint. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psa. 127a). Here, Solomon provides us with the ideal blueprint for our homes: God must be the architect and builder of our families. But for God to build our families necessitates our following his wisdom and plan. Therefore, Scripture must be at the heart of home life (Deut. 6:6-9). Lois and Eunice evidently understood this, training Timothy from childhood in the sacred writings (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). Families must not only listen to God by reading together but also speak to God by praying together (1 Pet. 3:7). When families read and pray regularly together, it creates an atmosphere conducive to spiritual growth. Spouses will learn to give the unconditional love they receive from Jesus (Eph. 5:22-33), parents will learn to train their children with the same patient and loving disciple they receive from the Lord (Heb. 12:3-11) and children will learn to respect and obey their parents because it pleases God (Col. 3:20-21).
Christian homes require some holy demolition. We have all brought some bad habits into our families, perhaps carried over from childhood or picked up along the way. Just like our home renovation projects, before we can install anything new we must rid ourselves of anything old and out of date—i.e. dangerous. God tells us what is clearly not ‘up to code’ and instructs us to put it to death. These are things like sexual immorality, greed, anger, slander and lying (Col. 3:3-11). Because these selfish practices are unsafe for any family we must be ruthless in removing them from our lives. This violent reordering of priorities and cessation of harmful habits can be a messy, painful and slow process, but it is necessary.
Christian homes require framing in godly values. Once we have learned to continually put off the old ways, we will be ready to start framing in the new values that will form the boundaries of our home. Paul instructs us to “put on” the heart of Jesus: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and mercy (Col. 3:12-17). These attitudes form the new walls and roof that keep our family safe. God protects us through our honesty toward one another, our willingness to forgive one another and our commitment to love one another, no matter what. A good home is like a spiritual and emotional shelter where the weary can come in from the world and enjoy rest. Christians deal with enough problems in the world. We need a place of mutual love and understanding, a place where we can truly let our guard down, be ourselves, joke around and ask questions without feeling embarrassed or afraid.
It is a tragedy when the home is the source of distress and guilt, suspicion and hostility. It is sad when the home is a place of are slammed doors, raised voices or grim silence. Perhaps you were raised in such a home. If so, by the grace of God we are given a chance to break that pattern and do things God’s way. Do you need a home makeover? Seek God’s design in his word and get to work tearing down the old and building up the new.
