Sacred Homemaking

What if God wants you to be clean and not just your house?

This is my tongue-in-cheek addition to the Sacred series from author Gary Thomas. You may need to be a fan of his books to get it.

Kitchen

Man shall not live on bread alone. We focus on feeding our bodies but many times fail to nourish our soul with the Word of God. Sometimes we want to eat like a teenager and then wonder where the acne comes from.

Another thing we learn in the kitchen is that if we hide sins in the refrigerator of our heart they turn into a moldy mess. Instead, we should throw them out through confession and avoid a worse mess later.

Bathroom

The smell coming from the toilet can remind us that our sin is a stench in God's nose. We can’t cover it with a spray and wiping at it with a cloth will not remove it. All we can do is receive the cleansing power of the cross. Then it will be as 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost.”

In the shower we are reminded of Hebrews 10:22, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can enter God’s presence without a hint of shame.

Living Room

Looking at the dust-covered furniture can remind us that we came from dust and we will return to dust. Our body and everything associated with it will pass away.

Bedroom

Sleep is wonderful refreshment to our bodies. Here are some things we learn from Scripture about sleep: as we trust in God our sleep will be sweet (Proverbs 3:24), God doesn’t sleep (Psalms 121:4), it’s vain to work so hard that we miss sleep (Psalms 127:2), if you love sleep you will become poor (Proverbs 6:9-11) and there is no rest for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21). Give sleep it’s proper place – not too much or too little. Receive it as a gift from God.

After sleep, make the bed. Some will say, “Why, it’s just going to get messed up again?” We learn from this is that there are many unpleasant tasks that we have to do every day. Don’t fight them otherwise they will trouble you all day.

Family room

Marriage and family are the only things we have from the garden. It can still be a bit of paradise.

Sweeping

You can't sweep it under the rug. From this, we learn to deal with marital disagreements. We may want to avoid them but like dirt, they remain under the surface and cause other damage.

Barbecue

When the flames are out of control, we remember that the Lake of Fire will burn forever. Give thanks to God for salvation and don’t mess with sin.

Lawn care

Even though the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it still has to be mowed. You might also notice that on closer inspection it has weeds. If you cross the fence you will see that your lawn doesn't look so bad after all. Be satisfied with your spouse and the other things you have.

Roof

Are you living under the authority of God's covering? There is a holy order God has ordained with Him at the top. Under that, we have husbands and wives, parents and children and the authority of spiritual leaders and government. When things are in order, it leads to peace.

I hope this has stimulated your thoughts as it has mine. I would love to hear your additions and comments.

Philip