I went to a lovely wedding Saturday night. My gorgeous and oh-so-sweet friend A married her best friend B. A is the leader of the Nurses' Christian Fellowship Group I am a part of at TU. During the ceremony the groom's grandfather read the following passage of scripture:
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
King James Version
For half a second as that elder started reading this passage I was confused. I've always heard this preached with regard to an individual's life, not a couple or a family. But then it occurred to me that maybe this passage was a bit more literal than I had initially thought. Maybe instead of the house representing something it really means a house. No, not a building, but a house like the House of Jacob (Israel) or the House of David. In the Bible a house can also refer to a household or family not just a building they live in. So Jesus here was saying if a man builds his family on the rock of Christ the storms of life won't hurt it. But if he builds it on the shifting sands of this world it will fall whether by just becoming a hateful, dysfunctional family, or by ending in a nasty divorce.
The old saying goes like this: "the family that prays together stays together." Seeing that I am currently single (though I do have a wonderful beau) my future marriage, family, and home often are on my mind. I want that family to be built on the rock. If I can't pray with my husband and kids something is wrong. If we can but don't something is wrong. My family has never been one for family prayer and devotion (preferring private instead, not saying we don't pray, just not together) and I have always longed for that. When an uncle was visiting he gathered his wife and kids and invited us to join them in a family prayer meeting in the living room one day. I've never forgotten how beautiful that was. I pray that family prayer and devotion will be a daily fixture in my home. I want my home to be built on the Rock of Ages. I want to build my house on the firmest possible foundation.
A and B's wedding was beautiful not because the people were good looking and the dresses were pretty (they were). A and B's wedding was beautiful because it was Christ centered from start to finish. Almost every song was centered on Him and His love not just theirs. It was a beautiful ceremony in every way. I hope and pray that their marriage will continue to be built on the foundation it has started on. Congratulations A & B!!! May God richly bless your union forever and always!!
[This song was actually one of the songs in the wedding]
Great post, Lana. Our family began doing daily, family devotions together (reading scripture and praying) the first time we went on the missions field. Honestly, it was hard to continue it once going back to the U.S. between the 2nd/3rd shift work plus American church schedule. However, we've never been more unified than when we are living in such a way. It's a great goal to have!
ReplyDelete[I thought I posted the following comment yesterday.]
ReplyDeleteExcept the Lord build the house... + Ps. 90:17
Sis. Dibble--I think I'm gonna start having you read my posts before I post them so you can point out all the great scriptures I missed and I can add them. ;)
ReplyDeleteSis. Alphin--Thank you so much for the compliment and the real life stories. Life does complicate things a bit. :)