ELIZABETHTON
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Dear Rev. Graham: I grew up in a simple but stable home. It grieves me to see so few families who know this kind of life. It seems people have given up in trying to live this way. Is it true that if home life is torn asunder, society is also torn asunder? — H.W.
Dear H.W.: The home is the foundation of any society, and marriages and families that make up home life certainly have been attacked for a long time. There have never been more books available advising how to solve our family and marital problems than there are now. Yet somehow, more people are miserable, broken, and hurt. We don’t have to search for the answer to why this is. The Word of God has not been taken into account. Society has disregarded His regulations and it has brought marriages and homes to disaster.
The husband-wife relationship under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is key to family success. God intends that couples be held together through Christ. Marriage was never designed to be short-term; it is a contract for life ordered by God Himself. Believers in Christ have the strongest resource for stable marriages because God is at the helm. If He is not, there’s reason to examine why. “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).
Scripture calls out to mankind to return to God’s Word and build our homes on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ the Lord. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart…. Teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
The foundation of a happy home is the spiritual exercise of prayer, Bible reading, obeying God’s commands, and fellowship with others who have made Christ predominant in life. This is God’s plan for marriage, family, and home.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)