Queen Of Your Home, Pt 2 - No. 80

1 Timothy 5:14, “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”
 

The New Testament also gives us the same understanding that we are to be the rulers of our homes. The phrase, ‘guide the house’ is the Greek word ‘oikodespoteo’. It is a combination of two words –

‘oikos’ – home, household, family

‘despotes’ – master, ruler
 

Here we have the same meaning again, that God has given to women the charge, not to manage their husband’s lives but to manage their own households. We have the responsibility from God to keep our homes running smoothly.

We have the testimony of the woman in Proverbs 31:27, “She looks well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” The Hebrew word for “looks well” is ‘tsaphah’ and it has two meanings.

1) To observe, to keep watch.

Dear mother, don’t look at all the other things that you could be doing outside your home. Instead look to the things that need to be taken care of in your home today. There’s a lot to do. Is the laundry up-to-date? Are the dishes washed? Is your home running smoothly? Are you watching over what needs to be accomplished in your home? Are you watching over the minds and hearts of your children? Are you watching in prayer?

2) To lean forward, to peer into the distance.

The diligent mother not only watches over the daily affairs of her home but she also looks ahead. She has stores of water and food in case of an emergency.

More than that, she looks into the future and makes decisions, based not only on the present, but how they will affect the future of her children. She also knows that mothering is not just for today but for the years ahead and the generations to follow. This mother knows that she is training children for God’s divine purpose. Because she sees the bigger picture, the constant little things that go wrong from day to day do not frustrate her. She knows that pouring her heart into her home and teaching and training her children will have national and eternal consequences.

I love the words of Rev. T. De  Witt Talmage, “Thank God, O woman, for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen in it. Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there, beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it. Better be there than wear a queen’s coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess. It may be a very humble home. There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall. There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer’s hand ever kindled.”

Your home is not a prison to restrict your life. It is a place where God can use you to influence many lives for Him, firstly your children, and multitudes of others who will come into your home over the years. My greatest delight is to bring people into our home, to feed them at our table and by God’s grace, to show them God’s love and lead them closer to God.

I also love the words my daughter, Pearl, wrote about her grandmother, my mother. “It was in her kitchen that she welcomed friends and those who were lonely. An herb tea made in a pottery teapot and ‘something nourishing to eat’ were the items on her menu during visiting hours, though there never seemed to be a closing time. But it wasn’t just for the homemade food they came. It was the listening ear she offered and the well-chosen words of counsel. Her kitchen was not only a place to feed the hungry. It was a psychiatry office with a stool for a couch.”

Begin to dream about the wonderful things that can happen in your home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh Lord, please help me to make my home a beautiful place for you to dwell and a peaceful home for my family to live in. Show me how I can serve you and serve people in my home, rather than rushing out to meetings and leaving my children. Oh God, please use me to love and nurture many people to you in my home . Amen.

AFFIRMATION: