Our homes are temporary, but they are an opportunity to reflect God. In Genesis, “God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” We have been created in the image of Christ, that still blows my mind. He has created us each so uniquely and special. Some of us have the gift of cooking, while others have the gift of hospitality, and others the gift of decorating, etc. We all have things we are good at that can be used to glorify God and reflect Him.
When you recognize that nothing comes from you, it all comes from Christ, you see that God has given each of us a home, whether it be an apartment, a house, or a dorm room; therefore, we must honor Him with it and bless others.
What are practical ways you can make Christ the center of your home?
1. Fill Your Home With Prayer
I really believe the first step is asking Christ to dwell in your home, asking him to be in every moment, in every life that steps through your door. Have you asked Christ to be the center of your home? We honestly can’t do it on our own; We need Him. He tell us that “the Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). And in James 4, He tells us that “you do not have, because you do not ask.”
2. Fill Your Home With His Word
The bible says that Gods word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). We are also told that the “word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). There is extreme power in the word of God and I want to actively be pursing Him and learning more about Him. God gave us His Word and His Spirit within us to guide us, so we should actively be seeking Him. Some examples of this would be through your quiet time, through reading together as a family, and through having scriptures posted around your home.
3. Fill Your Home With His Love
This can be one of the hardest things to do, to love the way Christ loves so unconditionally. I think 1 Corinthians 13 is a great passage to think about when seeing if you are loving others, namely your family and friends in your home, like Christ. Are you patient? Are you Kind? Do you keep no record of wrongs? These are tough questions to ask and most of the time I am sure we are failing at least one or all of the things mentioned in the passage.
4. Fill Your Home With His Grace
I want my home to be filled with grace and forgiveness. None of us are perfect and all of us fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, I want to extend the grace and forgiveness that I have so freely been given. I desire for my house to be a place of peace and understanding, a place of full honesty without fear of judgement or condemnation. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
5. Fill Your Home With His Discernment
“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). We are not without sin and when you put two (or more) sinful people under one roof, you are bound to have disagreements from time to time. But, its how you handle these disagreements that matter. During these times of trouble, do you keep your focus on Christ? Do you know when to hold your tongue or do you fling insults in your loved ones direction? “Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18). This is so hard – in the middle of disagreement, being “kind” seems to be the last thing on our minds. But, we need to keep our focus during these times – my advice would be to pray. It is a lot harder to be mad when you submit yourself to Christ and pray; It is even harder if you both pray together in the middle of the fight. To sum it all up, we must be “slow to anger” and strive for Christ’s discernment and demeanor.
My hearts desire is that Christ would be the center of our lives and our home. It is my constant prayer that we are keeping Him first in our marriage, our lives and our home.