Monday, July 9, 2012

In The Home......

In the home, we have three basic ministries. If we are married, the first ministry is to our mate. We are to love them, appreciate them, and encourage them. Our second ministry is to our children if we are blessed to have children. To me, this begins with prayer "on bended knee" with a sincere dependence on the Scriptures. Our third ministry is to our church and our community. Over a lifetime these unfold. It seems these days everyone has a plan, a calendar, a goal. These are good but we are encouraged in scripture to live day by day. May I encourage you to live one day at a time with a daily filling of the Holy Spirit. You see, it's not a onetime event this filling of our spirits, it is a daily surrendering to the Lord and seeking His wisdom and guidance. When we take the time to live in His presence and draw near to HIM our lives and our ministries just happen. Our lives are peaceful and our days are fruitful as He lives through us guiding our ways and our days. So many times we try to live out our lives with a reliance upon the truths from the Bible that we already know or have learned but it just doesn't work well that way. The Lord wants us to come as often as possible and be encouraged and taught through the words He has for us building fresh insights for each day and each season. His desire is to dearly love us and clothe us with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [Col. 3:12] These are virtues needed in our relationships in the home and the community. When we combine these virtues with love, they are bound together in perfect unity. It is then, that we can lay these efforts of our lives before the Lord and know that He will make something beautiful out of it! I do enjoy making my home beautiful BUT without preparing my heart first, it would be just a cold place when family and friends come in.


My daughter Kristen and I drove for eleven hours on Friday with her four children back to her home in Texas. When we arrived, her sweet husband had created a dinner party for her and his children. He did it with love and with kindness. He ministered to his mate, his children, and his mother in law. :-) You see....it doesn't take much to make a house a home and fulfill a ministry of love! He had clothed himself in LOVE! Each of us were touched and loved!!!