Foundations Oct 20, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

BIBLE IN A YEAR:

THANKFUL SUBMISSION – Submission to the Family

SCRIPTURE READING 

John 14:23 (NIV); “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’”

“Home” is a dwelling place, a residence where one lives and can find refuge. Many have walked through the door after a long day and uttered that little saying, “home, sweet home.” A house is the wood, beams and paint that make up the building which holds the “home.” Constantly in Scripture, people are “returning home.” It is the place where one lives and always goes back to. For Israel, the ultimate home was the promise of an eternal city with foundations “whose architect and builder is God.” 

As parents, it is our job to create an environment where our spouses and our children feel safe. We need to be quick to listen and slow to judge, training them in obedience while refraining from condemnation. The home must be a place of unity – where children see the love that their parents have for one another and for them. And for those who are yet to be married or who do not have children, our responsibility is not gone – we need to do our best to create a living space of hospitality and peace where people can enter and feel the presence of the Spirit. Therefore, regular confession is important as the oppression in our own hearts can quickly transfer into our surroundings. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

PRAYER & MEDITATION

1. How can you increase the hospitality and generosity in your home?

2. Is your home a place that your children love to come to, or is it a place of anxiety and             stress? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your children’s feelings towards home and ask Him how to proceed?

3. Set aside time this week to pray over your home. If you are married and/or have children,         make this something you do together as a family. Walk around your house, praying  in the rooms and the doorways, asking the Holy Spirit to rain His presence in your home, that people would enter and feel the peace of Christ. Talk afterwards about  how you can create peace and unity as a family.