Recently our pastor preached through the book of Colossians, and the title of one of his sermons was, “Honoring the Lord in the Home”. I took many notes and, again, it stood out to me that our homes are our mission fields where we as parents have the immense responsibility to reflect Jesus Christ and model godly character.
The apostle Peter said, “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life,” (2 Peter 1:3, NLT). And the apostle Paul said, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV). And in Colossians 3:17 (NIV), he expanded, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
The Bible says that “…it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose,” (Philippians 2:13, CSB). That means God is working in us and through us, enabling us to live a God-honoring life.
Since God has given us everything we need to live a godly life, we have what it takes and, with His help, we can exemplify godly behavior. This is good news especially because we have heard pastors say that “more is caught than taught.” This means that our actions often speak louder than our words.
But let’s face it, even though we are followers of Christ, we’re still a work in progress. We are not perfect, and we will make mistakes. We will get frustrated, get angry, we will raise our voices, say the wrong things, lose our patience, and disappoint our children (and others). We will have bad days! That’s why I am so grateful for God’s grace and mercy, making us righteous through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross (Romans 5:9), and now “all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image,” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).
The Bible teaches us to imitate Christ’s example so that we become more like him each day. And “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT).
As I reflect on my journey as a mother, I’m reminded of the many ways the Bible has shaped me and equipped me. It’s been a great source of wisdom and guidance, convicting me to grow and change in areas where I needed to. So, let’s look at some verses that have helped me along the way.
The first and most important one: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction,” (Proverbs 1:7, ASV). I have learned that it all starts with putting God first and having reverence and awe for who He is: holy, almighty, all-knowing, and sovereign. Making Him our number one priority is key to gaining wisdom and knowledge.
The following scriptures have served as a compass and have given me discernment.
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had,” (Philippians 2:3-5, NASB).
And Romans 13:14 says, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” What does it mean to clothe myself with Jesus? It means to put on love, compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness, patience, kindness, gentleness, and it means to be humble, obedient to God the Father, and to have the heart of a servant, and yet be a leader who speaks truth with love.
The next few scriptures have been convicting and have pointed me in the right direction over the years.
“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business…”, (1 Thessalonians 4:11, NLT). “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3-4, NLT). These verses seem a little harsh, but they are so important to heed, especially with the advent of social media. They have helped me to keep my eyes on Jesus and not on people, to focus on myself and my family, and to live a life that’s not driven by comparisons but rather focused on becoming the person, the mother, God has created me to be.
One way I’ve applied these verses is by becoming more mindful of my words, and the following verses have given me guidance in how I communicate.
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless,” (James 1:26, NIV). “With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness,” (James 3:9, BSB). “And I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (or write),” (Matthew 12:36, ESV). Wow! Right? The Bible is very clear that God cares about how we speak; He condemns slander, lying, gossip, and hurtful speech. That’s why I pray daily, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer,” (Psalm 19:14, NLT).
There are many more Bible verses that provide wisdom and insight on modeling Christlike behavior at home and elsewhere, but they all boil down to these two commandments:
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these,” (Mark12:30-31, NIV). Everything in life hinges on these two commandments: Loving the Lord and loving others. If we truly did these two things well, the world would be a better place. But since this is easier said than done, and we can’t do all of this on our own, the Lord said, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you,” (Isaiah 41:13).
God is with us, and He will help us every step of the way. Let’s do our best to reflect His love and character in all we do and trust that He will come through when we are weak, and He will finish the work He has started in us.
Blessings,
Flora
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