(From Moments for Meetings)
Text Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:1-2
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us an
offering and sacrifice for a sweetsmelling saviour.
You can have a Happy Home.
A little girl sitting in a hotel foyer was asked if she was on a visit. "Oh no" she replied "My daddy has a new job and we have been living here till we find a house." The lady said, "so you do not have a home?" and the little girl replied "We have a home, only we do not have a house to put it in." Anyone can build a house or sell you one, but only you can make a home. You can build a house of bricks, plaster and wood, but it takes love, patience and forgiveness and faith in christ to make that house a home.
One of the tragedies of today is the decay of the home. Homes have turned into hotels, where people with the same name sleep and eat when they do not hav esomething better to do. Sad to say some homes are battlegroundswhere children are reluctant to go when parents fight or argue. Jesus compared heaven to a home in John 14:2. "In my father's house are many mansions."
A happy home does not depend on the externals- furniture, clothes, swimming pools and things like that. Kindness in the home is very important. Love is the oil that lubricates the machinery of the home. Patience and forgiveness are the virtues we need to cultivate. It is amazing how clouds are lifted when somebody says "I'm sorry" or somebody replies "I forgive you".
Christian love is simply treating others as God treated us. As we live together we learn more of the kindness of God.
"And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" Here is the secret of a happy home. If Christ's in our hearts and in our homes then our homes will be a heaven on earth. Let us ask God to put that kind of love on our hearts and homes.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask you to make each one of us more loving and forgiving,
especially in our homes towards our families. As most of us are wives and mothers
or home-makers, we ask for your Grace and Love to make us the centres of happy
homes which cultivate love and forgiveness in our families. This we ask through
Jesus Christ or Saviour and Lord.
Amen
(From Newton Fellowship Toowoomba Australia)