Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15: 16, 17, NKJV.
Heavenly Father and our God, please help us to have joy in our homes by allowing You to come into our homes. This we pray in the holy name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Our homes have been battered by every wind of strife. This recent recession has done us no favor. Because of these existing conditions, families are falling apart. We have looked to methods for miracles and have been disappointed. We have spent our time and energy searching for answers and have found no solution. Could it be that we are looking in the wrong places; depending on the wrong things; expecting the wrong results?
A five member family may not need five cars to get where they are going, on time. We may not need a television set in each room to be adequately informed. Perhaps we would be able to save more money, if we were not eating out as often as we do. Maybe if we took a closer look at our lifestyle we would discover that, as I mentioned in another devotional, “more is not always better.”
Our Scripture for today makes mention of two principles: the fear of the LORD, and love. One proverb places the fear of the LORD on one side of the scale – to be measured against quantity ( a little with. . . versus great wealth). The other proverb places love on one side of the scale to be measured against quality (vegetables where there is. . . versus a fattened calf). Of course in this second example, quality would depend on our definition of what a healthy diet consists of. But just at a simple glance, perhaps most people would consider the meal consisting of a fattened calf, as of a finer quality (it certainly would be more expensive!).
Both principles under consideration are indispensable for a happy home. The family where a healthy reverence for God is cultivated, is fertile ground for love to blossom and bloom. It is a home where people feel valued and safe. Their devotion to God and their treatment of each other, is not based on fear of punishment or rejection, but on love. Love to God is an enabler. When we love God with all our hearts, our souls, and our minds, we will have a healthy self-love, which will enable us to love others the way we love ourselves.
My word to families is the following: do not allow the flame of the family altar to go out. When we worship God together our reverence for Him is both seen and felt and appreciated. Beloved family members, let us spend as much time as possible, alone, with our Heavenly Father. Then let us go to a world that is dying, and share with them the secret of a happy home!