Living in Christ isn't just like living on a houseboat
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13
Matthew 24:45 speaks of a faithful servant preparing food for a household.
Genesis 35:2 speaks of Jacob leading his household to part with the idols that were objects of worship among his people.
The New Testament speaks favorably of the households of Lydia and Narcissus. Lydia's whole household received salvation in Jesus.
Jesus spent much time at the household of Mary and Martha, among others whose names we don't know.
The Proverbs 31 woman, a foreshadowing of how the church would live and work, was attuned to the needs of her household.
Jesus prophesied that members of households would begin to struggle one against the other in these end times, for sake of trying to save people from their sins, for His sake.
When Israel was fighting to leave slavery, their households were saved from death through applying the blood of the Passover lamb to their doorposts, foreshadowing how Christians are spared damnation by carrying the blood of the Lamb on the spiritual doorposts of our hearts.
Joseph's long-lost family was saved from famine when his brothers reunited with him and received the forgiveness and hospitality of his household.
A jailer who received salvation, because of Paul and Silas' time in prison, courageously and joyously brought the two prisoners into his household, so that his whole household would be saved.
Jesus' healing of an official's son brought the official's whole household to faith.
Paul preached goodwill to men, but especially to "the household of faith." (Galatians 6:10)
And when Jesus fed more than 5,000 after church one day, he asked the congregation to get together in groups of 50, probably to symbolize how churches would get together and become the households of faith that Paul preached about.
Clearly, households are important to Jesus, important to all Heaven.
Not every household is a full house. Some are empty nests where one person is meant to care for only one other for a season, showing us God doesn't give all of us the same responsibilities in life.
For some, taking care of a household in elder years is much different than in big families with children.
Thinking again about when Jesus fed the multitude: Most of our lives are more quiet than that.
It's easy to think Jesus fed more than 5,000 faithful people, so maybe we should make that a goal in our week to week. But that may not be what God is calling everyone to do.
Instead, for many of us, there's a need to overcome hurt, have household peace, and begin reaching out to just a few around us.
The well-being of households — and our ability to be fruitful at home — is important to Heaven. Just look at what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12:
"Concerning agreement in brotherly love, you don't need instruction: for you are taught of God to love one another. And indeed you are in loving agreement with the faithful all over Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more; and that you study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may walk honestly [having honest gain to give] toward them that are without, and that you may have lack of nothing." (Paraphrased)
Getting settled, having peace at home, and thereby being able to get things done, is a first step toward being able to be a good example to those in spiritual need around us, as long as we don't become overburdened like Martha did one day.
Jesus being the anchor of our soul and home, we don't have to worry as much about the troubled waters around us in life.
