When we were at our son Kurt’s place in Kansas City, his neighbor across the street had a large stone on the front lawn that read “a house divided.” One half was for the jayhawks and the other for the wildcats. In that part of Kansas, sports fans are divided between the Kansas jayhawks and the Kansas State wildcats. Evidently the husband and wife were divided in their loyalty. It was interesting to me that they were so public about their divided loyalties. The thought of divided loyalties within a household got me to ponder the reality of homes divided spiritually. I got to thinking about the men who read this blog. Are there divided homes spiritually. I thought of Joshua’s words as the people of Israel were being asked to recommit themselves to the covenant relationship with God as they moved into the promised land. Joshua declared, “But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
So the question for us men is this, “Is our house united or divided spiritually?” Another way of saying the same thing is to ask, “Is Jesus, Lord of our home?” Do husband and wife, who are also mom and dad, ” give first place to Jesus in their lives,” or is their loyalty divided. Jesus warns us in Matt 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” One simple test as to Lordship in the home is to ask “to what we give our time, talent and energy?” Through word and deed is there evidence that the Lord Jesus is acknowledged as Lord in the home.
Men, I cannot stress the importance of having your home under the Lordship of Jesus. We are to take the lead in this matter. This does not mean domination or control, but rather sacrifical servanthood in which we demonstrate our love for our wives and children. Listen to Paul’s exhortation to us husband. “Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole” (Eph 5:25 – The Message). Going all out means giving to our wives and not expecting anything in return. This kind of giving will create an envirorment for wholeness or unity of spirit. Why take about this kind of unity? Because Satan wants to divide your home spiritually. Jesus spoke very clearly that there in no neutral ground. “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse” ( Matt. 12:30 – The Message).
My strong exhortation to each of you men is that you be a priest of your home. You set the tempo or the spiritual climate in your home. Don’t expect your wife to take the lead. As a matter of fact, there might be some men reading this blog who know their wives and even their children do not share with them in their commitment to Jesus. I strongly encourage you to put yourself under the Lordship of Jesus. Whether your house is divided or united, our stance is to be under the Lordship of Jesus. We are to cry out to him for mercy and protection, asking Jesus come and do battle for us against the spiritual forces that want to bring division to our homes
You might think I am being little radical in what I am saying. I respond with two comments. First, I have tried to practice what I exhorting the rest of you men do for years. Many times I have cried out to God for mercy, asking him to come a do battle against the forces that would divided my home. Second, I believe that the Christian homes of our nation are under attack from forces of darkness. Listen to the these words from I John 2:18 “Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That’s how we know that we’re close to the end'” (The Message). Again men this is a time to humble ouselves and to do battle against the force of evil that want to divide, with prayers that implore God to come and do battle for us.
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