I’ve attended and officiated at several weddings, and one hymn often touches me deeply: ‘God, Give Us Christian Homes.’ I get teary-eyed whenever we sing it. However, upon reflection, I’ve come to realize that perhaps God doesn’t directly give people Christian homes. Instead, a Christian home is built by two practising Christians who share their faith and values.
Friend, everyone desires and needs a Christian home (Psalm 128:1-6). But how many people are working towards having one? If Christian homes were a gift, pastors and church people should all have one. But it is not always like that (1 Samuel 2:12). The kind of home that most people have is not the one they desire. It is not even the one that they pray for.
Praying to have a Christian home without practising Christianity is making a mockery of the Christian faith (1 Timothy 5:8). Whereas prayer is very important to having a Christian home, it is not all there is. If you keep praying but continue to violate scriptures, your home will look more like hell than heaven. It is not about what you pray. It is about what you do (John 13:17).
I once told our church that perhaps people don’t need marriage seminars. They need Bible seminars (2 Timothy 3:16). Marriage seminars without Bible seminars will only raise believers who are looking for fomulars without getting the life and substance required to drive their marriages. Christianity is not a formula. It is a life (2 Timothy 3:5).
Your home cannot be more Christianly than your Christian life (1 Peter 3:1-7). If you don’t invest in your Christian life, it would show in your marriage. When you become a better Christian, you will become better at every other thing you do (1 John 2:20, 27). You will become a better spouse, student, businessman, pastor, etc. Therefore, you need to work on your Christian life as you desire a Christian home.
The greatest preparation you can make as a single desiring a great marriage is not just to read books on love, relationships, and marriage. It is to read and practise the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). It is to develop a walk with God that will greatly impact your marriage. Be a solid Christian (Acts 11:26). Your spouse will be a beneficiary of your spiritual fervency or laxity.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria