The development of a happy home, built on Christian principles, does not happen by chance. Although two people may become one by following God's plan for marriage, they still have the day-to-day life experiences that must be dealt with.
Jesus' statement in Matthew 7:24-27 takes on a special meaning when considering the everyday pressures of the home. Jesus said, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Life is filled with problems and difficulties, even for the Christian. Success is determined, not simply by acknowledging that we are a "Christian family" but by considering and applying godly principles to our marriage when problems arise. Of course, when we consistently follow God's Word we will automatically have fewer problems. Yet problems such as stress, parent-child relationships, marital intimacy, etc., will occur.
The "wise" builder was wise because he built upon God's Word. Notice he dug deep. He really wanted his house (life/marriage) to survive the elements of nature (pressures of life/marriage).
The "foolish" builder didn't see the need to waste his time in digging a foundation. He wanted to get on with his life. He was in a hurry. Too big of a hurry!
Many today enter marriage in a hurry. They don't take the time and effort to "dig deep" into God's Word to identify their role in the marriage relationship. Instead they get caught up in the modern day trends of our society, which treat the biblical guidelines for the man and woman in the home as foolishness.
Beginning with the fall of man in the garden there has been a clear distinction between the man and the woman. Man was given the responsibility to rule over his wife, as well as to labor and toil in the face of hardship for his existence. The woman was given the responsibility to help the man. Though she might desire to rule the man, she was to be in subjection to him. Additionally, she was to experience great sorrow in life as well as sorrow and pain in child birth (Genesis 3:16-19).
We see these principles stressed in the New Testament also. The man is given the responsibility of being the head or authority figure in the home (I Corinthians 11:3ff; Ephesians 5:23). The woman is given the responsibility of submitting to, and assisting her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24). The scriptures also strongly imply that in meeting this responsibility, her place was to be in the home (Titus 2:3-5).
The man is also commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the church. In Ephesians 5:25-33, the husband is told four times that he is to love his wife. The last statement in this text is that the wife "reverence her husband". It may appear on the surface that the man has the easy part (loving his wife) and the woman has the tough part (reverencing her husband). But, "loving" like Christ loved may not be as easy as one might think. On the other hand when the husband loves his wife like Christ loved the church, reverencing such a husband is more easily accomplished.
These concepts may seem foolish to the world, but remember, God's foolishness is wiser than men (I Corinthians 1:25) and His thoughts and ways are far above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Topic