Way Beyond a Better Home

Joshua 24:15 Choose for yourselves whom you will serve...but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

For me one of the hardest parts of moving is selling your home. It has nothing to do with how much we profit or lose, although I'm all for a profit of course. It has little to do with the stress of wondering when the house will sell, but of course I'm for a fast one. It's that as I hand over the keys to our home, I feel like our memories and dreams go with them. The excitement felt the day we moved in is replaced with dread that our home may no longer be used to grow a godly family.

This morning I am reading in John 12:1-26. Chapter 12 opens with Jesus, once again arriving at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Today Jesus is whispering to my heart to look at this family as a model of the three things He desires in every godly family:

• Extravagant Worship (Verse 3) - As Jesus relaxed with His followers, Mary poured an expensive bottle of perfume of his feet and cleaned them with her hair. The fragrance of her worship filled the entire home. What fragrance greets guests in my home? Is the stench of dissension and turmoil, the smell of busyness and overcommittedness or the sweet aroma of a home dedicated to worshipping God?
• Extraordinary Service (Verse 2, 9) - Just as in Luke 10:38-42, we find Martha serving others. In contrast to her appearance in Luke, she serves with a joyful heart. There is not even a mention of a complaint when an entire crowd shows up for a visit. What sight bursts before the eyes of my guests? Would they find us dishing up plates of materialism, waiting on our own wishes and wants or serving up a feast of love for God and His people?
• Exemplary Evangelism (Verses 10-11) - After being raised from the dead Lazarus didn't languish in his new life, but purposefully communicated to as many as possible what Jesus had done for him. In Verse 10, we read that the Jews made plans to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. This plan of the Jews for Jesus would come to fruition in less than a week; it is reasonable to assume that Lazarus' fate would soon follow. What sound greets the ears of my guests? Would it be the clanging of current events, the honking of gossip and slander or a sweet symphony of praise for God and His work in our family?

The deep desire of my heart is that my family would have a Bethany address. I want my home to be overflowing with worship, service and evangelism. Jesus, today may the sounds, sights and smells of my home bring you nothing but glory and praise.