How important should religion, faith, worship, and Bible study be in marriage and in choice of a spouse? What authorities or experts should husbands and wives follow? Why should a Christian marry a faithful Christian?
Religion is important in the home in all of the following areas:
A. The Authority or Source of Guidance Your Home Follows
Many people are confused about the proper way to conduct their home life. What authority should your home follow?
People often follow human "authorities" to the harm of the home.
Worldly marriage "experts" - psychiatrists, feminists, sex educators, civil government, etc. [1 Corinthians 1:19-21; 2:4,5; Proverbs 14:12]
Practices of society - advice or example of friends, neighbors, etc. [Romans 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Matthew 7:13,14]
Practices of our parents - people tend to act in their families the way people around them acted as they grew up. [Matthew 10:34-37; Acts 5:29]
Personal desires or desires of the family members [Matt 16:24,25; 10:34-37]
We need not ignore all advice these folks give; they are not always mistaken. But they are often wrong, and many of the problems in our homes come from following these authorities.
We need a better standard - a source of higher wisdom. Suppose we had an infallible source of guidance. Shouldn't we follow such a standard, instead of these fallible human standards? If these human guides disagree with our infallible source, shouldn't we reject the human standards and follow the infallible one?
The ultimate source of guidance in your home should be the Bible.
Genesis 2:18-24 - God created marriage and the home from the beginning. Since He created marriage, He knows the best way to conduct it.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 - The Bible is a revelation of the wisdom, not of men, but of God. It works effectively in those who believe.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - Scriptures are profitable to teach and instruct us and provide us completely to all good works. Doesn't that include the good work of having a good marriage?
Isaiah 55:8,9 - But God's wisdom is superior to that of man, like the heavens are higher than the earth. This is true in every area.
Joshua 1:8 - We have success in our work when we study God's plan and do not depart from it. Many claim to believe this regarding salvation, the church, worship, etc. But do we likewise follow God's plan for our homes?
Psalm 127:1 - Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
We do not need to have so much confusion and uncertainty about family affairs. The Bible is the word of God, and God is never wrong. If you want a good marriage and a good home, you must follow the proper guide.
[2 Peter 1:3; Acts 17:11]
B. The Main Goal for Our Homes
Too many families put too much emphasis on materialistic goals.
Material possessions - Luke 12:15-21; 1 Timothy 6:9,10; 1 John 2:15-17.
Pleasure - 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Hebrews 11:24-26.
Popularity and social standing - John 12:42,43.
Beauty - Proverbs 31:30; 1 Peter 3:3,4.
Recreation, athletics - 1 Timothy 4:8.
The most important goal our homes should seek to accomplish is to serve God and to help one another receive eternal life.
Genesis 18:19 - Abraham commanded his house to keep God's ways.
Joshua 24:15 - Joshua committed himself and his family to serve God.
Malachi 2:15 - God seeks homes that result in godly offspring.
There are other important goals for our homes, such as love and companionship and raising our children to be good citizens. But even if a family has all these, it is still a failure if it does not accomplish the most important goal. Too often families become so involved in pursuing other less important goals that they neglect responsibilities to God.
In order to have proper home lives, service to God must be our main focal point. Do not marry someone who does not view serving God as their main goal in life.
[Matthew 6:33; Romans 12:1,2; 1 Corinthians 15:58]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment