-- Is a Christian everywhere, in Singleness of Heart --
Matthew 19:19 says, "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Do you know what I have to say to that? "With men it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible." I personally don't have a tendency to easily love everyone, family included. It is natural for me to be un-Christlike, but Jesus has something higher for me, something better, something powerful, something called "charity," Christlike love. It is stronger than human nature. It "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." It really does bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things, including home and family life.
Now I know it doesn't take a Psycologist to figure out that it's easier to show our "real self" with the people we live with (the psycological side of it is interesting, though). While we naturally would want to impress people outside of the home, we feel much more comfortable and "off-guard" when at our place of residence, around the people we live with and see pretty much everyday.
I am happy, thrilled, and excited to say, that God has solutions for every issue involved in this, and one principle and beautiful truth is...singleness of heart. Ephesians 6:5-7 says, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will ["For it is GOD which worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure."]doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord..." Jesus wants us to be so deeply and firmly consecrated to Him that we will not serve self by pleasing people(and just pleasing ourselves when people aren't around), showing off, etc. He wants us to be so consecrated to Him that we will serve Him alone, wholeheartedly. Serving God and serving humanity go together. So, when we serve God, we are serving our families, and when we serve our families (taking Christ's example by His power and love) we are serving God.
"The Lord requires perfection from His redeemed family. He calls for perfection in character-building. Fathers and mothers especially need to understand the best methods of training children, that they may co-operate with God. Men and women, children and youth, are measured in the scales of heaven in accordance with that which they reveal in the home life. A Christian in the home is a Christian everywhere. Religion brought into the home exerts an influence that cannot be measured." MS 34, 1899.
Will post part 2 eventually... :) God bless you!
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