There
is something about that phrase that brings complete joy to my heart. Sometimes
I get so excited just thinking of going home that I can hardly stand it.
For
me, living across country from my entire family means trips to Ohio for special
occasions, visits, or holidays. And then once I am there, I am just as excited
at the thought of heading toward Colorado and my loved ones left behind.
Going
home. Why is it so comforting? What makes it so special?
If
we look at the definition of home according to Merriam-Webster, it is “the
social unit formed by a family living together or a familiar or usual setting,
a congenial environment, or the focus of one’s domestic attention.”[i]
This
definition includes some important words. Family. Familiar. Usual. Congenial.
Domestic.
That’s
why the word home brings such warmth and comfort to our longing hearts.
When
I come home to Ohio, there are a few things I enjoy. Some of my favorite foods
are here. Some of my favorite places are here. Some of my favorite people are
here. Some of my favorite memories are here. Going home allows me to enjoy of
all of these.
I’m
so grateful that God has something to say about our homes, because it is so
important to us. His Word shows us how we should build our homes, how to
maintain our homes, about our spiritual homes, and our eternal home.
Building a Home
Psalm
127:1 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds
the house, the builders labor in vain.”
When
the foundations of our homes have God as the source of strength, there will be
greater success. Allowing God to be in the middle of everything that goes on in
our homes will produce a useful family for His kingdom.
Righteous Home
When
we’ve built our homes on God’s Word as the foundation, He offers promises that
we can believe.
Proverbs
3:33 says, “The Lord’s curse is on the
house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.”
And
Isaiah 32:18 tells us, “My people will
live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places
of rest.”
Following
God’s commands and living holy lives leads to blessings within our homes.
Spiritual Home
We
also have the calling to create a spiritual home within our physical bodies.
“Anyone who loves me will obey my
teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home
with them.” (John
14:23)
“As you come to him, the living Stone
—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living
stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
Eternal Home
In
2 Samuel 7:10a, God promised Israel a home of their own. “And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so
that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.”
Just
as God promised the Israelites that home in the Old Testament, He has promised
us an eternal home. A place where we can go home and be with Him forever.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if
that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a
place for you?” (John
14:2)
My
parents have moved from the houses where my siblings and I grew up. I have no emotional
attachments to where they live now. Although the houses are not the same, where
they live is still “home” because of my family who live there. Because of the
familiar, usual, congenial, domestic environment that exists there. Because at
home, wherever it is, there is love.
I
believe God created us with this longing for home so that we might have a deep
desire to go home. Not just our physical homes, but our eternal home. It’s no
wonder that we want to go home.
Grace
and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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