HEAVEN AT HOME

The Living Way brings hope to our aching hearts. Before long, we will walk through the gates of heaven and see our Savior face to face. That day is still in the future. But God can give us a taste of what it will be like. Even today, we can have a glimpse of heaven.

How can we have a taste of heaven?
"You shall receive the gift of the _____  _____ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38,39).

The Holy Spirit is God's gift to your family. When the Spirit of God lives in your heart, God's presence will be in your home. He'll give you a taste of what it's going to be like when we're finally at home with Jesus. And what's more, Christ says if you know how to give good gifts to your children, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13).

How can this gift be yours?
"_____ for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

Giving ourselves to Jesus lays the perfect foundation for a happy home. To really love someone else, we must first give our love to God. He will then replace our "me first" heart with His own. This new heart enables us to think of others first and to give our lives to them. When we've given ourselves to God, we'll desire to please Him, especially in how we build a Christian home.

What is God's #1 plan for your home?
"If anyone loves Me, He will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our _____ with him" (John 14:23).

Jesus wants to be a welcome member in your family. This promise shows that He desires an intimate relationship with us, just as He has with our heavenly Father.  This is why He's prays that "they all may be one as You, Father, are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:21).

How can  your marriage be a picture of God's love?
"Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same mind, being of _____ accord, of one mind" (Philippians 2:2).

Unity means more than agreeing on the color of the carpeting in your home or what dessert you'll have for supper. To be of one mind means to go deeper--into the very heart of being a Christian.

How can you be of one accord in your home?
"Can two walk together except they are _____?" (Amos 3:3)
"Do not be equally yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an _____?" (2 Corinthians 6:14,15)

God's plan is for complete unity at home. In Genesis 2:24, the Lord says: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Marriage means forsaking and joining. We leave behind our parent's home and all romantic relationships of the past. Then we unite with our new love--physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In all they do, the husband and wife moves together in the same direction--with the same goals, the same values, and the same faith.

Why is unity of faith so important in a Christian home?
"For you are a _____ people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special _____ above all the peoples on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).

Perfect unity is God's plan for your home. But it can only happen when Jesus is the center of both your lives. Faith in God and how you live it affects every aspect of your life together--how you spend your time, how you spend your money, how you raise your children, and so much more.  Let's say you believe in God and your faith is a vital part of your life, but your spouse doesn't share that faith. There will always be a part of you that you can never share. And your relationship together will reflect it. You'll never be able to do all you want for Jesus in a divided home. Your spouse may claim time that you want to use for prayer or studying your Bible or sharing your faith with others. This lack of unity often leads to conflict and division, which will put incredible stress on your relationship. A home without unity of faith is a home where the shadows are rarely lifted.

How can a husband show his wife that he really loves her?
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave _____ for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:25,26).

Romantic feelings play a part in the love between a husband and wife. But it's not the framework for love. True love is built on a choice or commitment to give yourself completely to someone else,just as Christ did for His bride, the church. His focus was on us, not on His own desires or plans. He is a giving Spouse, who even sacrificed so that she could be blessed. Husbands are to love their wives in the same way.

How can a wife show her husband that she really love him?
"Wives, _____ to your own husbands, as to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22).

Just as we show love for Jesus by obeying His Word, a Christian wife shows how much she loves her husband by following his leadership in their home. When the husband and wife are both walking in the Spirit, the wife will feel safe in following her husband's lead. And he will always consider her needs as he makes decisions for their family.

What does a husband and wife need in order to always "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works"? (Hebrews 10:24)
"Husbands...dwell with them with understanding, giving _____ to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7).
"Let the wife see that she _____ her husband" (Ephesians 5:33).

A husband and wife need mutual respect for one another. One Christian author writes, "Neither the husband nor the wife should attempt to exercise over the other an arbitrary control. Do not try to compel each other to yield to your wishes. You cannot do this and retain each other's love. Be kind, patient, considerate and courteous. By the grace of God you can succeed in making each other happy, as in your marriage you promised to do" (The Ministry of Healing, pg. 361). Love and respect go hand in hand in a Spirit-filled home.

How can your love for each other stay strong?
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit...love one another fervently with a _____ heart" (1 Peter 1:22).

Keep your spouse always in your heart (see Philippians 1:7). And as the marriage vow says, "keep yourself only for "him or for her. This is possible when you keep your eyes on Jesus, seeking Him with your whole heart. the pure love you have for Christ will then be seen in the pure love you show to one another.

Will a Spirit-filled Christian live with a partner outside of marriage?
"And walk in love, as Christ has also loved us and given Himself for us...but _____ and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints" (Ephesians 5:2,3).

The Bible calls all premarital sex fornication. When a husband or wife break their wedding vows and have sex with another partner, the Bible calls this adultery. Both are sins of impurity and are not compatible with the Christian faith or a Christian marriage. The Bible says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals...will inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9,10).

Why should couples refrain from living together before getting married?
"Now the body is not for _____ immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body" (1 Corinthians 6:13).

The Christian's body is actually a temple for the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:17) When we give ourselves to Christ, our bodies now belong to Him, "for you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

What blessing has God promised when we follow God's plan for a happy home?
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see _____" (Matthew 5:8).

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