Occupy Your Home

Home sweet home: a place where you can let your hair down, let it all hang out and feel free to be yourself;  a place to escape from the cares of the world and to whirl your cares away; a less than obvious place to give feet to your faith and a face to the gospel.

It’s likely the most convenient missions field you’ll ever encounter, and while the folks inside might not be the easiest converts, there’s no easier opportunity for you to walk out what you believe. I’m asking myself if I’m squandering this opportunity to reach the people most closely within my reach and seriously questioning if the people who know me well are getting to know the One who keeps me well. Am I making the most of each chance to share Jesus with the people in my family? You’ll notice I’m not giving you a resounding, “Yes!” What about you?

I quoted Luke 19:13 in Sunday’s post. Familiar with it? It’s a neat little parable about a nobleman who gave ten of his servants a pound each and instructions to go do business.

I like reading this passage in the King James Version because I love that he tells them to “occupy until I come.” He gives each of them provision and essentially says, “Go do something with this.  Get busy working and have something to show for it when I get back.” It’s a reminder to me that whether it’s money, talent or an opportunity to witness—the Lord expects me to resist being wasteful in an effort to occupy until his return. It’s so much easier to apply this to sharing resources or when I’m considering evangelizing the lost in the world, while the people who’ve seen me in my pajamas tend to get the short end of the stick.

I hope all this recent buzz about occupying will be a constant reminder to keep yourself occupied in building the kingdom. I also hope you’ll be reminded to let that building begin at home. Let that home include your family at large (third cousins, twice removed included). I’m off to do some occupying of my own…join me for more tomorrow.

…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord… Joshua 24:15

Anitra Elmore is your server this week! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.