WOULD YOU BE
INTERESTED IN THREE THINGS
WHICH WOULD GUARANTEE A HAPPY HOME?
Would you be interested in
three things which would guarantee a happy home? I do not frequently make any
guarantees. But I will guarantee that wherever these three things are found,
you will find a truly happy home. If you, desire a happy home seek these three
things.
A TRULY HAPPY HOME BEGINS WITH A LOVING HUSBAND AT THE HEAD OF IT -- "The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head
of the church ... Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:23,25). The primary
responsibility of every home rests upon the shoulders of the husband and father
in that home. God holds me responsible for my household. Before God, I am
prophet, priest, and king in my home. I am God's representative in my family.
That is an awesome responsibility. I am the one responsible to provide for my
family, to train my children, and to govern my household. Every husband must be
the head of his family. The decisions of the family, the welfare of the family,
and the government of the family rest on his shoulders alone. And he must
exercise his headship In true love, ruling his household for the glory of God.
Second, A TRULY HAPPY HOME REQUIRES A
SUBMISSIVE, OBEDIENT, AND DEDICATED WIFE -- “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For
the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church" (Eph. 5:22-23). By Divine inspiration, the apostle Paul
commands the husband to love the wife; and he commands the wife to reverence
her husband. It is not difficult for a man to love his wife if she is
reverently submissive to him; and it is not difficult for a woman to be
submissive and obedient to a man who truly loves her. This is by no means a
matter of male supremacy or female inferiority. It is simply a matter of divine
arrangement. Our President may, or may not, be a man superior to us; but by
God's arrangement he is in a position of authority over us. It is therefore our
responsibility to show him proper reverence and obedience as our President.
Even so, it is the responsibility of a wife to reverence and obey her husband
as her head. He is in a God-ordained position of authority over her. To rebel
against him is to rebel against God. To dishonor him is to dishonor God. No
woman will ever find happiness in her home until she recognizes her husband as
her head, reverences him, and submits to him as such.
Third,
IN A TRULY HAPPY HOME THE CHILDREN MUST
BE RESPECTFUL AND OBEDIENT -- "Children,
obey your parents In the Lord: for this right. Honor thy father and thy mother;
which is the first commandment with promise" (Eph. 6:1-2). It is not
possible to have a happy home with unruly, disobedient, and disrespectful children.
Neither the parents nor the children are happy in such a situation. It is the
responsibility of children to honor and obey their parents; and it is the
responsibility of parents to see to it that their children both obey them and
show them proper honor. I know people say that it cannot be done; but God
requires it. It can and must be done. Start early and be consistent, firm, and
loving in your discipline, and your children will honor you and obey you. if
you truly love them and seek the best for them, you will make your children
obey you.
When these three things are
in order: When the husband is the head of the family, when the wife is
submissive to her husband, and when the children obey their parents, your home
will be a happy home.
Don Fortner, Pastor
Grace Baptist Church of
Danville -- Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438