Our house.... we will serve the Lord.

Josh. 24:15c “……..But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua made a very bold statement. This was not done lightly. He understood what he was going on record to do. He declared before the whole nation of Israel that he was going to be the spiritual leader of his home. He wanted everyone to know that he was not going to be one person in public and another one at home. He understood the importance of being consistent in his walk with God.

It is easy to be one thing in public and another thing at home. At home, we are seen for who we really are. Our family sees us in our weaknesses more than our strengths. They are not fooled by how we appear in public.

It takes a lot of guts to go on record and take responsibility for the spiritual life of our home. Not only will people be watching us, but our families will also. In order to pull it off, we must first take personal responsibility for our own relationship with the Lord. We must seek the Lord passionately. We must grow in our love for Him to the point where he is the number one priority of our lives. We must desire Him to the point where everything else in life falls in line behind him.

It is easy to hide who we are behind what others see of us. But, we can’t hide from ourselves or our families. We are exposed, warts and all. It would be interesting to take a survey of the families of spiritual leaders and seek to find out how consistent they are in their walk with the Lord. Would they be declared righteous? Why is it that so many children of pastors and other church leaders wander away from faith and the church? Do they see enough of what others don’t to turn them away?

What about you? Are you living well enough at home to encourage and inspire your family to live for the Lord? We can’t control the decisions that our loved ones make for the Lord, but we certainly can influence their decisions by the way we live with them. Do you love the Lord and your family enough to take responsibility for the spiritual environment of your home? Are you a godly example to be followed, or are you an example to be spurned?