I visited a family and for the first time, I decided to spend the night with them. A few hours later, I heard the husband’s resounding voice as he was arriving home, angry with ‘NEPA’ for denying them light, and angry with his wife and children for what I knew not.
When he saw me, he melted and wished he could swallow his words, but it was late. I had seen his nakedness. That is how Jesus will meet many people naked when He will come. Contrast it with that of a man returning home with a sweet song in his mouth: ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus…’ The children, sauntering by his side, joining him in the song before he prays, thanking God for them and for travelling mercies… This is a type of home where Jesus abides.
A guest minister in a church drew the attention of his hosting pastor concerning a zealous member. The host gave the brother wonderful compliments. Not satisfied by that, the guest minister asked him whether he had ever visited the youth. ‘No need for that,’ the host replied, ’he is a very faithful member and does not miss any church programme’. That evening, the guest minister traced his way to the young man’s residence, only to find out that he was keeping his lady-friend at home while he comes dancing merrily and exhibiting zeal in the church!
The home is a very important place in our lives. It is possible for a man to succeed in his office, business and in the church, but fail woefully at home. That happened in those days when there was war between England and France. Leading the English Army was the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon Bonaparte led the French Army. None of the Generals defeated the other and each went home to reorganise.
Reaching England, the Duke found out that the cornfield he and his soldiers passed through on their way to France had been fenced. A gate was erected, manned by an Irish security official, who refused to open the gate for him and his troops, asserting that he received orders not to open it to anybody. ‘Anybody? I am the Duke of Wellington,’ he told the guard. ‘I know, sir, but my master said that I should not open it to anybody’. As the humble Duke was turning his horse, followed by his soldiers, in search of an alternative route, he overheard the guard calling his master in utter excitement: ‘Massa, Massa, come, I have done what Napoleon could not do. I have turned back the Duke of Wellington’. Yes, Gen. Napoleon could not turn him back in far-away France, but at home, an Irish guard had done so. A little lie, a little adultery, a little indecent behaviour, just a little deception, could turn back a Christian from the rapture.
How we relate with God in our homes is important. Jesus, according to Mark 1:35, would go to a solitary place very early in the morning to pray. Sometimes, He would go to the mountain and prayed all night. When do you have your quiet time? How long does it last? How rich is it? It speaks loud of your priority. Did you care to know how your son got the money he used in buying that piece of land? Does it matter to you how your daughter obtained her car? I prayed for my last two children many years ago when they were going to sit for UME. Reminding God how I was going from one church to the other ministering His Word, I pleaded for His favour in their examination. ‘But God,’ I continued, ‘if they will do expo, let them fail’. I told them to say Amen and they did.
A day of soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea, children, in their various colleges, know whether their parents will attend the Bible study or stay at home to watch the match. They will be influenced by that. Righteousness exalts a nation. Sin is a reproach. It is the opposite of righteousness. Absenteeism! Apostle John records how the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. He blessed and breathed on them the Holy Ghost, but Thomas was not there. My God! Where was he? He might have good reasons for his absence. The fact remains that he was not there when Jesus came. May it not happen to your enemy!
How we relate in the home is important. Isaac, Abraham’s covenant son, ministered to his wife for pregnancy and God answered and gave them twins. May He give you double and more in your needs this year. Later, Isaac transferred his love to Esau and Rebekah did the same to Jacob, leading to the emergence of two political parties. One day, Esau returned from his hunting expedition hungry and pleaded with Jacob for food. The negotiating price was his birthright, showing the manifestation of envy, rivalry, and scorn of birthright. Their mum planned a successful coup in which Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. Jacob did not object. His problem was whether his Dad would find out, unlike Joseph, who said, ‘How can I do such wickedness and sin against God?’ It reveals the spiritual weakness of Isaac’s family.
It is also important to know how we relate with other people while staying in our homes. What we say about other people is recorded in Heaven. Do we pray for them? Do we show acts of kindness to them? Can your landlord or tenant be born-again because of you? The training we give to our children is important. There must be Righteousness in the home. Some people, however, live double lives: the one in the church and the one at home. May the Lord Jesus live in our homes!
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0909 041 9057; [email protected]