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Where better than the home for the Kingdom of God to flourish? I believe it was God’s design. When we look at the instruction given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 11: 18-21, we realize that the Kingdom principles must begin where we live. There is a principle that says, if the student hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught. Before a teacher can teach, that teacher must know the subject. This is the reality of kingdom living: it must be a personal experience before we can pass it on.
The power of prayer and in prayer is vital for today’s home. Many ask the question, “How do we get that power?” The secret of power is to bind the Word of God in your heart and soul, Deut. 11:18. In John 15: Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” In our homes, we must be living, eating, walking, relaxing, coming, going, looking, and every other part of our existence, with the King’s word as our garment and treasure and companion. When we live the Kingdom principles at home, all other things fall rightly into place, Matthew 6: 33.
How many of our homes are dysfunctional today because they violate the instruction of God’s Word and turn to the wisdom of men for solutions! The parables of Jesus recorded in Matthew and Mark give us insight as to how we should establish our homes as miniature versions of the Kingdom and our families as citizens of the King.
The mustard seed is small but so great in ministering to others. The ever so present evil one snatches away truth from our presence, sowing tares among the wheat. Some act as if the enemy is not at work! Leaven or yeast, hidden in the meal permeates it all, just as hidden sin has a way of finding the hearts of the children in the home. Learning to be a servant by observation, listening, participating and sharing righteous living also permeates the heart. We pass along what we are.
What we value in the home must be the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field. Is living for Jesus the priority of our living? Are we more concerned with our retirement, investments, and kid’s education? If what we love and value in the home is earthly, we will miss the mark.
I grew up in a home with two older sisters. We were exposed to the Kingdom of God through the life of our mother. Did she do everything right? No, but she was in love with Jesus. This love relationship motivated every action in her living. She taught us the principle of servanthood. She endeavored to help anyone that needed help. We took people into our home and kept them as family until they were able to sustain themselves. She cooked, cleaned, ministered to the sick, prayed, cried, and if anything else was needed, she was available to do it! She did it because she loved Jesus. She worked tirelessly for the little church we grew up in without thought of praise or thanks. She was accused, verbally abused, yet took no retaliation, and showed no bitterness. The love of God that was living in her found a way to forgive and later on do much good to those who said she was full of the devil. I think of the apostle Paul when I think of Mother in this situation. Galatians 2:20, “I live, yet not I, Christ liveth in me.” We not only heard the Word, we experienced its power in our home.
If you understand what Kingdom living is all about, one day when you stand before Jesus you will hear Him say, “I was hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me” (Matthew 25: 31-40).
Must we be reminded that how we live is what we sow? Examine your living, your hobbies, and recreational outlets. How passionate are you about things that are not eternal, yet unconcerned about spiritual things? When you share with your family the Word of God, when you pray, do they catch the impassioned cry of your heart, or do you come across with more passion cheering on your favorite team? Just because it has become socially acceptable to be sports fans, it should never “out-passion” our enthusiasm for the living Word of God.
We want answers to the dysfunction of our day, and the answer is obedience to the King of Kings in our homes. I am not talking legalism, but love and consistent commitment to the kingdom principles that will shape our families for the glory of God. Learn Him, love Him, live Him, be true to God and your home will be an example in power for the Kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 4:20.
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