3 Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;
4 By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
If we possess God's wisdom, it can be expressed to those who are closest to us - like our families. Those who live with us every day can see the level of our devotion to God, and there is a challenge to make sure that our private lives line up with our public testimony. God's Word and the presence of His Spirit can work through us and direct us as we relate to those in our homes. We have a tremendous responsibility to demonstrate the love and truth of Christ and to be a model of His principles.
In Psalm 78, we find a passage that can be inspiring and challenging as we seek to share our faith in
our families:
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The Barna Group has "come home," in a sense, with a new survey that measures the degree to which spirituality is injected and practiced in families. The research firm has what is called a "custom metric" by which it measures households, which has three components, according to the survey summary:
As 1st Peter chapter 3 suggests, this could be a silent witness as a spouse tries to win the other to the Lord. The faith of the parents may be questioned by the children. But, even though circumstances may be challenging, the presence of the indwelling Christ can make a huge impact as we live out the Christian life in our homes.
But, we can seek to find ways to treasure our families, to provide conditions that are conducive to spiritual growth and to conversation centered on Christ. And, as it's been said, the home really can be an incubator for the presence of God - how we behave at home may just be a good indicator of what is really going on in our hearts.
+++++
In Psalm 78, we find a passage that can be inspiring and challenging as we seek to share our faith in
our families:
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The Barna Group has "come home," in a sense, with a new survey that measures the degree to which spirituality is injected and practiced in families. The research firm has what is called a "custom metric" by which it measures households, which has three components, according to the survey summary:
- Spiritual practices—defined here as praying every day or two and reading the Bible weekly all together
- Spiritual conversations—defined here as talking about God and faith at least weekly all together
- Hospitality—defined here as welcoming non-family guests regularly, or at least several times a month
If a household participates in all of these practices with those frequencies, it is considered to be"spiritually vibrant." 25% of those surveyed fit into this category. The other categories and the percentages are:
Devotional, which "only participate in spiritual practices and spiritual conversations," 33% of those surveyed are in this category.
The Hospitable families, which "only practice hospitality," comprise 14% of the families in the survey.
And, the Dormant, who take part "in none of the above," are at 28%.
So, what are some characteristics of Spiritually Vibrant Homes? The research offers these principles:
Vibrant households stand out in that they have meaningful, fun, quality time with both their housemates and extended household members. These are practicing Christians who know the meaning of play—and indeed, half call their home life “playful.”
Examples include playing games, sharing meals, and even sharing feelings on a daily basis.
The summary also states, "Given that welcoming others is part of the definition for this group, it’s not surprising that friendships play a great role in Vibrant households, with close friends...as well as neighbors...coming over several times a month." 56% report close friends visiting, and 28% indicate neighbors come over.
The research also indicates:
Spiritual coaches are remarkably consistent in Vibrant homes. Among this group’s distinguishing traits is the presence of someone who shares about God’s forgiveness (76%), the Bible (73%) or traditions (69%). More than seven in 10 have a household member who sets a spiritual example (73%) or encourages church attendance (71%). And though somewhat defined by their spiritual behaviors as a household, respondents in Vibrant homes are also highly involved in other personal spiritual practices, like reading the Bible on one’s own (76%) or attending small groups (51%) each week.The summary states:
Good things happen when those who share a home also share everyday liturgies with one another. Good things happen when those who share a home habitually share their lives with others. And all of these good things—a support system, shared regimens, recreational and creative time, spiritual discipline—are amplified when both Christian devotion and hospitality become part of the ethos of a household.There are plenty of principles to consider here, and we can think about how our own homes measure up to that "Spiritually Vibrant" standard. But, we also recognize that this is not the norm for many homes and families today - there is strife and brokenness, you find fractured families, and the challenge is to live the Christian life in front of our families, regardless of conditions.
As 1st Peter chapter 3 suggests, this could be a silent witness as a spouse tries to win the other to the Lord. The faith of the parents may be questioned by the children. But, even though circumstances may be challenging, the presence of the indwelling Christ can make a huge impact as we live out the Christian life in our homes.
But, we can seek to find ways to treasure our families, to provide conditions that are conducive to spiritual growth and to conversation centered on Christ. And, as it's been said, the home really can be an incubator for the presence of God - how we behave at home may just be a good indicator of what is really going on in our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment