THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIP (2)

Hello Reader,

You are welcome to another interesting edition with Family Life. There is no doubt you were wonderfully blessed last week. This is the second teaching on the subject ‘The Power of Relationship’. For those of you who are preparing for marriage, this will help you a great deal in getting your heart set for a wonderful relationship with your spouse.

We began last week by looking at the meaning of relationship and commitment as one of the factors of how you can nurture and grow your relationship. Today, we shall continue on the same teaching by examining how you can ‘Put Your Home in Order’

What is order? Dictionary defines order as “the way in which people or things are arranged in relation to each other” Dr. Mike Murdock simplifies it by saying, “Order is the accurate arrangement of things.” Therefore, order has to do with arrangement.

Jesus was faced with the task of feeding five thousand in the account narrated below. The people were very hungry, they were in a desert and all Jesus had at hand was five loaves of bread and two small fishes from a lad. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children (Matthew 14:19-21).

Jesus did not grab the loaves and fishes, and say to the multitude, “You, take!” If He had done that, there would have been confusion, because we all know that when hunger is in operation, just anything can happen.

So, what did Jesus do? The Bible says: “…He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass”. He blessed the loaves and the fishes, then gave them to the disciples (not the multitude) to distribute. The resultant effect was that, “…They did eat, and were filled….” That’s order in practical display.

In case you think only Jesus was orderly, reading through the story of creation will help you understand that God the Father is also orderly. It is written: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:3-5).

If you read the entire story, you will observe that God divided all the work He needed to do into six days. He first organised and arranged, deciding what He wanted to create before embarking on the actual creation.

Now, even in the creation process, He made sure that the herbs the animals would eat were available before making them. For the fish, He ensured that the water was in place before the fish came. Then He made man and said, “Now, you be in charge!”

Order is therefore part of God’s nature. So, when your home is orderly, you are simply exhibiting the nature of God.

The family, like other organisation involving two or more people, needs to be governed. Its affairs have to be controlled and directed to make for peace and fulfillment. Until you order your family relationships, it will be difficult to order any other area of your life. Remember, it is often said that, “Charity begins at home.”However, it doesn’t end there; it only begins there!

Someone may actually be wishing he had the gift of order. Order is not a gift because nobody is specially gifted in it. Anyone who desires order in the home must cultivate it – both the man and the woman. This is because the awesome responsibility of governing the home rests on the shoulders of the husband and his wife.

However, just as in every human organisation there is need for one to assume the mantle of leadership, in the home. In this case, the husband is the head and the leader of the family. The Bible says: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (Genesis 2:22).

Leadership is by no means a cheap task, it requires strength and courage. As a husband, you need to be conscious of your leadership role in the family government and accept the fact that you are expected to steer the family in the right direction. Wherever you go, that’s where your family goes. It is your responsibility to lead effectively and several things can help you do so:

Be grounded in the Word of God. A sound knowledge of the Word will help you make sound and quality decisions.
Pattern your leadership after the leadership of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:3)
Lead tenderly, yet firmly and decisively.
Let your decisions take into cognisance the welfare of your wife, children and other family members.
Involve your wife in the decision making process. Be prepared to listen to her contributions and advise, but accept responsibility for the final decision.
Be ready to accept the blame for whatever goes wrong, and be willing to give God all the glory for everything that goes right.
Accept responsibility for providing spiritual leadership for the family. Don’t leave your children and family to social institutions like the school, society or even the church to raise for you. Take time out to teach your family the Word of God and ensure that every member of your family is born-again, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Also take practical steps to ensure that every one is on the right path by helping them discover their purpose (Genesis 18:19).
The wife on the other hand has a supportive role to play in the life of her husband. You must understand that no tree makes a forest; so, surround your husband with aid and assistance as you contributed positively to make his life better. Every man has areas where he requires assistance than others. As a wife, identify those areas and be willing to assist him in same.

Disorderliness shatters relationships! It can drive a man or woman out of his or her garden of honour, like it did to Adam and Eve. You won’t be caught breaking ranks or acting disorderly!

Are you born again? If you are not, you need to first of all nurture your relationship with God so that you can have the power to nurture your relationship with your spouse and family. If you desire to be born again, you can say this prayer of faith:

“Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: