Building a Happy Home

TEXT: Gen. 2:15-25, 

MORE LESSONS: Col. 3:18-21

God has a plan for each of His children's home, present or future. As the initiator of the institution of marriage, His desire is that no home fails. It is important for us as God's children, who want to be part of His heavenly desire in the place of marriage, to know God's original purpose for this institution and there are three major ones.

One, marriage was ordained for the mutual societal help and comfort which husband and wife ought to provide for each other, both in prosperity and adversity. Two, it was ordained in order that the natural instinct and affection implanted by God should be allowed and directed aright, that is pure sexual life without fornication. Finally, it was ordained for procreation, that godly seeds may be raised on the earth.

Of all these, God's topmost priority from the beginning is not procreation, which unfortunately today is our number one purpose for marriage. His priority actually is for help, in prosperity and in adversity, And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him: v18. And God repeated this same thing in verse 20 …but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. Every other reason for marriage is God's plan but being an help is His priority. The question now is, how helpful are you to your spouse or do you intend to be when you get married? Until you are a helper to your spouse in all things: spiritual, physical, material, economic, health, etc, you are not yet building a happy home.

There are a few things and principles that God has set aside as standards and roles which if we apply can make a happy home.

1. Husbands must love their wives unconditionally (Eph. 5:25).

2. Wives must submit to their own husbands without reservation (Eph. 5:22).

3. In honour they must prefer one another.

4. They must endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit.

5. They both must leave to cleave. (Eph 5:31).

6. Finally, God hates divorce and husbands and wives must recognize and agree that according to God's

Word, divorce is never an option (Mal. 2:16).

PRAYER / ACTION

* Pray for homes that are under satanic attacks and marriage crisis.

* Ask God to defend and restore peace to the marriage institution.

* Pray that all unmarried brethren will find God's favour in marriage choice.

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Happy Home

TEXT: Eph. 5:21-23, 

MORE LESSONS: I Pet. 3:8-12

A good and happy home is a product of a happy marriage. A problematic marriage cannot produce a sweet home because, like a tree and its fruit, marriage is the tree that produces the home – the fruit. It is only when you make a tree good that the fruit will be good. If you desire a happy peaceful home, build a happy marriage. Marriage is the union of two people of the opposite sex, and the home is the dwelling place/habitation of a family.

A home must be built to be what is desired. A happy home begins first with the individuals’ dreams and desires. You need to have a desire about what you want your home to be like under God and begin to work at it. It does not just happen by desiring and wishing it. Ask yourself, what can I do to achieve my dream home? The first thing you must do to a vision/dream/desire is to rescue it from being forgotten by writing it down. Make your desires very clear and clearly state the how that you know today. Don't be afraid or too rigid to improve or change any of the things you have written down at any stage because visions grow and change. Changes should not, however, become a daily affair or else nobody will take you serious and you may become more confused in the process. Be sure of what you want before you begin writing. Writing your vision over any area of life is good, helpful for planning and execution, and it is scriptural (Hab. 2:2). It is never too early to start working at it too.

To work for a successful future, especially in such a crucial area as marriage, begin first with you as an individual, whether the partner is already there or not; work on your mind, spirit and body. Marriage is about sharing your whole lifetime with someone, so it should be prepared for and worked on. The lack of knowledge and understanding of what marriage is beyond making babies is one major cause of divorce and marriage crisis today. Whatever you can do, formal and informal, to prepare for a home cannot be too much.

One final thing for you to achieve a good home is purposefulness. Nothing comes well without a purpose, that is the why and the what of whatever you are doing. Have you ever asked yourself why are you married or want to be married? When you do not have an aim or intention for a thing, there is no way you can do that thing right. What is your aim for being married or for wanting to be married?

PRAYER / ACTION

* Ask God for a good home and understanding of why He wants you to be married.

* Pray that God will restore peace and goodness to every Christian home.

* Rebuke every satanic work on Christian homes.

* What do you intend to do or are doing with being married beyond giving birth or being called Mr/Mrs?

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All things work for Good

TEXT: Rom. 8:28, 

MORE LESSONS: Job 42:1-13

Job lost all that he had in one day - his children, business and his friends - but he never called God wicked. Whatever happens to you, keep giving God thanks, praise and glory. Never question Him, complain or refuse to serve Him anymore. Job was one of the greatest men that ever lived because of the way he handled his difficult time. The strength of a man is known in the time of crisis not when everything is sweet. How do you handle challenging times?

An ungodly king had a servant who always told the king, ‘God is perfect, He doesn't make mistakes. So whatever happens is for a purpose and it's working for good’. One day the king and his servant went hunting and were attacked by an animal; the king lost one finger and became angry. He said, ‘How could God allow me to go through the hurt of losing a finger’. The servant replied, ‘I believe God is good and knows why this happened. Everything He does is for a purpose’. The king got angry the more and ordered the servant to be locked up in jail for insisting that God is good even after what happened to him.

After sometime, the king went out hunting alone and in the forest some savages kidnapped him for rituals. As they were about to sacrifice him, the priest noticed that he had lost a finger and said, ‘Our god only takes a complete and unblemished human for a sacrifice. This man is not fit for the sacrifice’. They released him because his missing finger disqualified him from being sacrificed. As soon as he got home, he ordered the release of the servant. He agree that God is good and everything He does is for a good purpose. He realized that if the animal had not removed one of his fingers he would have been used for sacrifice by the savages. He then asked the servant what good was in punishing him (the servant) for saying the truth. The servant replied, ‘Oh king, thank you for locking me up so that I missed your last hunting trip. It was for a very good purpose’.

All things work together for good (Rom. 8:28) so be positive about all that happens to you. Look forward to the joy that will come out of all situations. Never blame God for anything and when good happens, give thanks to God. So whatever betides, also give Him glory and praise. Give God thanks, not because of negative situations but because of the good that will come out of them.

PRAYER / ACTION

* Receive grace to thank God for whatever you are going through now.

* Ask for grace to see His purpose in whatsoever you are going through.

* Rebuke the enemy and refuse him from taking advantage of your situation.

* Take a step of faith; go give a testimony over your situation.

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From Shame to Glory

TEXT: Matt. 5:1-5, 

MORE LESSONS: I Tim 1:12-15

Sometimes we wonder if God could ever use people like us. With all our flaws, shortcomings, and sins, it seems unlikely, if not impossible. But one look at the genealogy of Jesus Christ shows that indeed, there is hope. Jesus' genealogy features many unsavoury characters; all whom demonstrated God's grace and were not flawless men and women. For example, David, though a great king, was guilty of adultery and murder; Abraham, rightly called the father of faith, suffered a number of lapses such as the habit of deception. Yet God included both David and Abraham in the messianic line.

Matthew’s record of the genealogy also calls for attention, especially the list of women. With the exception of Mary, the other four were of questionable reputations; they were sinful women, not known for their virtue or godliness. They weren't even Jewish, yet God included them in the messianic lineage. First, we read of Tamar (Matt. 1:3) whose story is that of deception and sordid account of prostitution (Gen. 38) – certainly she was not a godly woman. By the grace of God, she was included in the Messiah’s genealogy. Rahab (Matt. 1:5) was a prostitute in Jericho when she met two Jewish spies sent ahead to check out the city prior to the conquest of Jericho. Rahab’s took role in saving these men from death secured for her a place among the Israelites when the city fell. God in His grace did not only spare her, but brought her into the messianic lineage as the wife of Salmon, the mother of the godly Boaz, who was David's great grandfather. Ruth (Matt. 1:5) was a Moabitess and her people are the product of the incestuous act between Lot and his daughters. One of the children born of that ungodly union was a man named Moab. Moabites were all idols worshippers! Ruth left her people, returned with her mother-in-law Naomi to Israel where she met and married Boaz. Ruth became the grandmother of Israel's greatest king, David and thus was included in the messianic lineage. The list also includes Bathsheba (Matt. 1:6), the woman with whom David had an adulterous relationship, yet she was included in the messianic lineage.

All these prove that when we sometimes ask: Is there any hope for me? Can God forgive me? Can He use me? The answer is yes! If God could use all these people for such a critical role of bringing the Saviour, Jesus to the world, He will forgive and use, for His glory, all who come to Him.

PRAYER / ACTION

* Ask God to help you put your past behind you and receive grace to do exploits.

* Ask the Lord to shine His light upon your destiny.

* Receive forgiveness for your past and new strength to move forward in destiny.

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