Making Your House a HOME... Part 1 of 2

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15

A few years ago, we sold the home that had been our “starter house” and went in search of what we hoped would be our “forever house” - - by this we meant a home our family could grow with, NOT a home our family would grow out of.

My husband and I prayerfully considered each home.  The one thing we could agree on was that in our home, Christ would be centered and we wanted all who stepped into the house to feel welcomed and feel the Lord’s presence.

“Home” - -is such an intricate and meaningful place for a family.   In the concordance of my Bible (NIV Application Bible), it says that a house is “a building that serves as living quarters for a family.” 
True, but to me it is so much more.  It is the place that 

• my kids come and snuggle up on my lap.  
• A place my husband arrives after a long and sometimes strenuous day at work.  
• AND it is the place that I daily spend time with my Lord. 

The home should be a place... 

• where a family comes together and feels safe, loved, and sheltered . 
• A place of worship for the Lord . . . a home where Jesus is the center, the heart.  
• Our home should be the place where we feel safe and able to cry out to the Lord.  (Psalm 46:1)

Regardless if you are married, a single parent or single - if you want to make your home a refuge, a place where you feel the presence of your Heavenly Father, let’s spend two days together exploring how to begin making our houses into HOMES that serve the Lord.

For TODAY, two action steps:  

1)  Start by claiming a scripture over your home.

We actually inherited the scripture that we claim over our house.  It is Joshua 24:15.  The previous owners had this verse on a small cross nailed by the side door entrance to the house.  I now have it written on the wall in our kitchen, the place that gets the most traffic during the day and a place that all guests will see and know that our house belongs to the Lord!

You may have a verse that is meaningful to your family, but if not, during YOUR quiet time with the Lord today, ask Him to lead you to a verse that speaks blessing to your family’s dwelling.   Once you have a verse, display it in a in a place of prominence as a reminder and blessing to all who see it.

2)  Have scripture written throughout your house.

I love Pinterest:   I can have an idea in my head, not know how to execute it, then search on Pinterest and find a very crafty person who has done all the work so all I have to do is print it out! 

This came in handy as I began to turn our home into a “House of Thanksgiving.”  I made a “Thankful Tree” and cut out leaves for our family and friends that visit to write what they are thankful for.  In my quiet time I meditated on verses throughout the scripture that talked on thanksgiving. I then typed a few out on my computer, playing around with the font and using a thanksgiving color scheme.  After spending entirely too long on this little project, I pulled up Pinterest and – voila! - found some of the same verses elaborately made with downloadable templates to print and put in frames. 

During your quiet time, keep note cards or sticky notes close by and when the Lord speaks to you through a verse, write it down and place it throughout the house.  Bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and even bathrooms are all great places to have scripture. 

Regardless of if you live in an apartment, town home, “starter home”, or “forever home”, I encourage you to make your house a home that serves the Lord. 

Next time, we'll explore even more - -but for now, I'll leave you with this thought:

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, 
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17