After putting her children to bed, a mother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious in their bedroom, her patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, and started screaming, warning at them to get back to bed “or else.” Naturally, the children scampered back into their beds and pulled the covers up over their heads to hide from this fury being unleashed on them. As she left the room, the mother heard her three-year-old say with a trembling voice, “Who was that?”
Moms lose their tempers. Kids don’t obey. Fathers avoid responsibility. Snide remarks among siblings. Blowing up at the kids when they fail to do something even though you have told them time and time and time again to do it! Taking it out on your spouse when you have a bad day. Personal relationship problems. Finances. Job anxiety. School turmoil. Depression. Anger. Laziness. The problems in the home may come from a variety of areas, but they all have the same source. Sin.
Properly speaking, our homes are dens of iniquity. We don’t usually use that terminology, but that is what our homes are: They are places where sinners live. I point this out to clarify the need for HOME IMPROVEMENT. You need to set apart Christ as Lord in your homes. You need the healing power of His love and forgiveness in your day to day difficulties in your home life. To set apart Christ as Lord in your home means more than lip service or a plaque on the wall or a Bible on the shelf. It means speaking your faith to one another. Praying together. Spending time in the Word of God and sharing that with each other. It means there will be repentance and God’s forgiveness will be offered to one another in your home.
In my home, having family devotions together was something we tried to do daily. It wasn’t easy. Even though I am at a different stage in my life, I remember the demands on time when kids are in school and both parents work outside the home. Your time together is a limited, yet precious, commodity. It seems like it would be easier to not have devotions. If you set apart Christ as Lord in your homes, you will make it a priority to have devotion time together daily. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use a prepared devotional resource, or simply read a passage of Scripture, discuss it, and pray for one another.
It might mean getting up a little earlier and sometimes being grumpy. Satan has a lot of tricks he uses to try to convince you to just say, “Forget it – we’re too busy!” But to do so would mean you are not setting apart Christ as Lord of that part of your lives. It may be a small thing, but those small things have a way of adding up. Think of it this way: if there are areas of your life where Christ is not in control, then who do you think is in control? If Christ is not the Lord of some part of your life, who have you put in that position? It is as though in our hearts we have set apart SELVES as Lord. And that will lead to ongoing problems.
Maybe I’ve pointed out a home improvement project you need to work on in your life. If so, remember that you have been covered over with the righteousness of Jesus. He forgives your failings and shortcomings and wants to draw you closer to Himself. Resolve to spend time together getting closer to Him.
