Dwell in Truth
/From the beginning of time, God’s intent and plan has been to infuse His life-giving Word into people. Specifically God seeks to vest His Word into families.
We see this reality throughout The Scriptures. In Eden The Lord gave commands to husband (and later father) Adam that were intended to help his family blossom and enjoy eternal life. Later when God brought Jacob’s family (Israel) out of Egypt He spoke with the people from The Tabernacle revealing how He required them to interact with one another as brethren and neighbors. And now Christ works through His church, which is often composed of families. God wants to thoroughly connect His word to entire families.
“God’s Truth should be brought home from church and integrated into our lives — especially within our families”
The point I’m making is that our belief in God’s Word isn’t just for the duration of services at church, it’s for our lives. This means that His Truth should be brought home from church and integrated into our lives — especially within our families. In this there is an aspect of place (home), time (24 / 7 / 365) and relationship (in this case family relationships). The integration of Truth into the family is clearly seen in passages like Proverbs 6:20-23 where father’s commands and mother’s law provide the son with light, protection and life. In this post, I’m asking you to bring Truth from church into your home. And I’m not making this request as some abstract concept, but as a practical reality!
Let me give you an example of one way that my wife Rachel and I are bringing Truth into our home. This year we have selected a family verse. Our passage is short and sweet, it’s Psalm 133:1 which says “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Our children range in age from 13 to 2 and they have the normal siblings spats, disagreements and self-centeredness. This Psalm is a great reminder for us to pursue peace and harmony with one another. The purpose of the verse that Rachel and I selected this verse to help transform our children from normal, average siblings, to thoughtful, loving, self sacrificing, harmonious Christian siblings. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 describes well what I envision, please allow me to loosely paraphrase...‘Find and listen to Truth and bring The Truth into your heart. Help your children to understand it. Speak about The Truth in your living room, and on your nature hikes. Talk about Truth when as you’re getting ready for bed and when you awake.’
Back to Psalm 133:1 though, you might wonder “Why did you select that specific verse?” As a pastor, I often come across long-term broken family relationships. As a parent my desire is that when sin arises between my children, they choose forgiveness and restoration instead of allowing long-lasting rifts to develop. I want them to choose proper unity over sin and division. Truthfully this verse isn’t just for the kids though, Rachel and I can—and should—also choose to live together in unity and peace! Psalm 133:1 is for the entire family from young-to-old and first-to-last!
To please God, we must believe that Truth is practical and vital for living life. When it’s received and lived, Truth fully transforms our lives, hopefully starting our home life. God isn’t a motivational speaker. He’s not hoping to simply inspire you, His work is a work of total transformation. That’s what Paul shares in Romans 6:4 — because of God the Father’s work through Christ, we should respond by walking “in newness of life.” Paul also talks to the Colossian church about setting aside “the old man and his deeds” and putting on “the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of [Christ] who created him” (see Colossians 3:9-10). This means God wants to effectively communicate with us through His church and then He wants this Truth permeate all facets of our life — from school to work, to our community interactions and especially in our family relationships!
In closing, I hope that you’re obeying God by regularly attending church services in a church where The Word of God is preached (Hebrews 10:24-25). And additionally, I hope you bring The Word home with you, and into your family.
What will you do today to bring The Scriptures into your home and family?
Additional Passages
Hebrews 13:1
1 Timothy 3:1-5
Proverbs 1:8
1 John 3:10-16
Ephesians 5:1-6:4
Colossians 3:15-21
1 Peter 3:1-13
John 13:35