My Father’s House

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at MARCH 28, 2013 by MARK KOLCHIN

I have wonderful memories of my childhood. I realize that this may not true for a lot of people, but it was for me. We were raised with very little of this world’s goods. Even though our economic level was on the lower side, it was my “normal” and consequently I never felt deprived, even though others looking in could have easily thought so. We did not have a large home or the latest gadgets but my father, a hard worker adequately provided for the family’s needs.

It is the place of love, warmth and acceptance since very true believer in Christ has been adopted into the family of God and accepted in the Beloved, Eph. 1:5-6

Like most children, we viewed our father as larger than life, since we never felt there was anything beyond his ability to fix. The house we lived in was not luxurious, but it was sufficient so that no one ever starved or suffered privation. I enjoyed life and as a young boy growing up on Jersey Shore, what we lacked in riches we made up for in recreation. Boating, fishing, swimming, sports all occupied the better part of our free time – and we made the most of it. Looking back, it was a great time. But what made the house I grew up in so special were not the items that were in it, but the atmosphere that prevailed within its walls. Home was always home – the place of acceptance, comfort and security, significant components that characterized a little piece of real estate located somewhere in Toms River, NJ. That plot of ground might not have been important to others, but it was to me. It was my “home” and it was more than just bricks and mortar—and what comprised that household was more than eye could see.

In the same way, every Christian belongs to a spiritual household, the household of faith, Eph. 2:19. Like our earthly households, there is more to it also than meets the eye. It is the place of love, warmth and acceptance since very true believer in Christ has been adopted into the family of God and accepted in the Beloved, Eph. 1:5-6. As members of this household, we have been brought into a vast spiritual fortune as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, Rom. 8:17. Like Jacob, one day we came to the surprising realization that we had been led by the grace of God to the house of God, whose rooms are filled with promises of His provision and His declared intention to faithfully see us through, Gen. 28:15. Not only does He provide and protect, but He also sees, knows, forgives, and rewards, Matt. 6:4, 8, 14, 18. He has also sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, whereby we cry “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6), confirming that we belong to Him and are a part of His family. As our Father, we can call upon Him with our deepest cares and concerns. He is indeed larger than life and we can rest assured that there is nothing too hard for Him and nothing that He cannot fix. What a Father we have and what blessings are ours! How true are the words of the Lord when He said, “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”. 

But just as there are privileges in this wonderful household, there are responsibilities as well. We are accountable to the One who is our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus who is over the house of God. Accordingly, we are to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, hold fast the confession of our hope and consider one another to stir up love and good works, Heb. 10:21-25. It is the non-optional triad of household “chores”, incumbent upon everyone who resides under its roof. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and thus shirk our God-given duties. We ought to know how to conduct ourselves in the house of God and thus forward the work of God, 1 Tim. 3:15.

But it does not end there. As believers, we have a mandate from the Lord: “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you”, John 20:21. Like the lepers in Elisha’s day, we have the duty to proclaim the day of good news of Christ and not remain silent but go and tell the king’s household, 2 Kings 7:9. Some have taken that challenge, going to regions beyond; others discharge that duty close to home. One way or the other, we all have a role in the Great Commission so that others may know and enjoy those same blessings of our Father’s house.