In the complexity of our modern mode of living, especially in the complicated, perplexing metropolitan culture of which most of us are a part, we have lost sight of and meaning of a word that has meant so much to the pioneers of Christian faith, to our forefathers in the founding of this so great a nation.
This is a word that is a means of life or death to a party that is lost in the desert or wilderness, or a crew on a ship that has been stranded at sea. A word that has been lost between husbands and wives in many of our homes. And the greatest loss of all in man’s relationship with his creator. This precious word, that has endured through the ages, is SHARE.
• To share in the home – the home is the center, the heartbeat of all humankind. As one travels along the highways of our nation, or down a street of a village or city, we see countless numbers of homes. The thought often comes to mind, are these houses or are they homes? What arc the central bonds of the families living in these houses? Are their bonds treasures on earth where moth and rust can spoil them and thieves can break in and steal? For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too; or is the bond that makes the home, a putting of a trust in God alone.
If this is the basic trust, how is this priceless treasure shared within the home? Or the real question is, is this shared in your own home? For this reason, I am convinced that family devotions are a must within the structural framework of a Christian home. When this is broken down and the parents and children no longer share this mutual love for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is a great emptiness in the home. It may be an old fashioned home, but the home that stays together prays and shares together.
• Is there a communication and sharing between the husband and the wife—after a year; ten years; or, if the Lord should tarry, that a golden wedding anniversary may be held—so that these partners in life shared their spiritual joys and sorrows together, and have this blessed assurance should the Lord call one of the partners from this life, that he is now with the chorus of all ages, a vast throng which no one could count, from every nation, of all the tribes of peoples, and languages standing before of the throne and before the Lamb? They are robed in white and have palms in their hands, as they shout together “Victory to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Or do they have to make the great admission, these are things we never talked about in our homes.
• Is there also a sharing of parents with the children so that when their children come to years of understanding, they will be able to make a commitment for their Christ and Lord; or, as another year passes by, has there been no desire to surrender one’s life for his Lord? Or is it a home where these things of life are so hard to talk about, or are we being too busy with other things that are so mundane that there just isn’t time? This spiritual sharing of parents and children is too often given to the responsibility of the church or school. Yet this is a priceless responsibility God has entrusted to the parents that the children may know the way of salvation. Should we ask ourselves, what are we doing?
• As an elder in the Christian Reformed Church on family visiting, I have often placed much emphasis on families sharing their love for their Christ with others in the family. I have found that there are homes where this is not practiced—even to such an extent that prayers at the family table are not audible. These are customs usually established at the time the home is established shortly after the time of marriage. To have an audible family altar is one thing that I very strongly encourage for those who are making their plans for the foundation of their Christian home. The more the family can share the riches through Christ Jesus their Lord, the closer the ties of the home will be.
• To share in our spiritual life, we, who are members of the body of Christ, have a tendency to identify ourselves, our Christian faith, and our walk in life with our own particular understandings and interpretations of God’s Word, the Bible. Basically we catalog this as our tradition. This can be good, and has proven to be so in our Reformed thinking and expressions. And yet the question arises, have we molded ourselves and Christian principles into a pattern that is unable to give expression of our true love for our Christ?
• Finally, and the dearest to my heart is the question, how much have I shared with my God this day? Have I gone through the day without his need or help? Or have I sought the Lord as I’ve cried out, “Oh God listen to me! Hear my prayer! For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to Thee for help. When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty towering Rock of Safety. For Thou art a High Tower, where my enemies can never reach me. Oh, send Thy lovingkindness and truth to guard me, and to watch over me, and I will praise Thy name continually, fulfilling my vow of praise each day.”
In summary, if we are able to share our lives with our Lord and Redeemer, our family, and our fellow men; we have a love in our hearts that is expressed in I Corinthians 13. That is as real as it is.
Richard Gruessing, a member of the Covenant Christian Reformed Church of Culterville, Michigan, is a pharmacist at Pine Rest Christian Hospital. He is a son of Rev. John H. Gruessing who served briefly in the Christian Reformed Church as minister until his departure to be with the Lord in 1919.
This is a word that is a means of life or death to a party that is lost in the desert or wilderness, or a crew on a ship that has been stranded at sea. A word that has been lost between husbands and wives in many of our homes. And the greatest loss of all in man’s relationship with his creator. This precious word, that has endured through the ages, is SHARE.
• To share in the home – the home is the center, the heartbeat of all humankind. As one travels along the highways of our nation, or down a street of a village or city, we see countless numbers of homes. The thought often comes to mind, are these houses or are they homes? What arc the central bonds of the families living in these houses? Are their bonds treasures on earth where moth and rust can spoil them and thieves can break in and steal? For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too; or is the bond that makes the home, a putting of a trust in God alone.
If this is the basic trust, how is this priceless treasure shared within the home? Or the real question is, is this shared in your own home? For this reason, I am convinced that family devotions are a must within the structural framework of a Christian home. When this is broken down and the parents and children no longer share this mutual love for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is a great emptiness in the home. It may be an old fashioned home, but the home that stays together prays and shares together.
• Is there a communication and sharing between the husband and the wife—after a year; ten years; or, if the Lord should tarry, that a golden wedding anniversary may be held—so that these partners in life shared their spiritual joys and sorrows together, and have this blessed assurance should the Lord call one of the partners from this life, that he is now with the chorus of all ages, a vast throng which no one could count, from every nation, of all the tribes of peoples, and languages standing before of the throne and before the Lamb? They are robed in white and have palms in their hands, as they shout together “Victory to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Or do they have to make the great admission, these are things we never talked about in our homes.
• Is there also a sharing of parents with the children so that when their children come to years of understanding, they will be able to make a commitment for their Christ and Lord; or, as another year passes by, has there been no desire to surrender one’s life for his Lord? Or is it a home where these things of life are so hard to talk about, or are we being too busy with other things that are so mundane that there just isn’t time? This spiritual sharing of parents and children is too often given to the responsibility of the church or school. Yet this is a priceless responsibility God has entrusted to the parents that the children may know the way of salvation. Should we ask ourselves, what are we doing?
• As an elder in the Christian Reformed Church on family visiting, I have often placed much emphasis on families sharing their love for their Christ with others in the family. I have found that there are homes where this is not practiced—even to such an extent that prayers at the family table are not audible. These are customs usually established at the time the home is established shortly after the time of marriage. To have an audible family altar is one thing that I very strongly encourage for those who are making their plans for the foundation of their Christian home. The more the family can share the riches through Christ Jesus their Lord, the closer the ties of the home will be.
• To share in our spiritual life, we, who are members of the body of Christ, have a tendency to identify ourselves, our Christian faith, and our walk in life with our own particular understandings and interpretations of God’s Word, the Bible. Basically we catalog this as our tradition. This can be good, and has proven to be so in our Reformed thinking and expressions. And yet the question arises, have we molded ourselves and Christian principles into a pattern that is unable to give expression of our true love for our Christ?
• Finally, and the dearest to my heart is the question, how much have I shared with my God this day? Have I gone through the day without his need or help? Or have I sought the Lord as I’ve cried out, “Oh God listen to me! Hear my prayer! For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to Thee for help. When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty towering Rock of Safety. For Thou art a High Tower, where my enemies can never reach me. Oh, send Thy lovingkindness and truth to guard me, and to watch over me, and I will praise Thy name continually, fulfilling my vow of praise each day.”
In summary, if we are able to share our lives with our Lord and Redeemer, our family, and our fellow men; we have a love in our hearts that is expressed in I Corinthians 13. That is as real as it is.
Richard Gruessing, a member of the Covenant Christian Reformed Church of Culterville, Michigan, is a pharmacist at Pine Rest Christian Hospital. He is a son of Rev. John H. Gruessing who served briefly in the Christian Reformed Church as minister until his departure to be with the Lord in 1919.