Scripture
So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25

Observation
One of my favourite pictures in the Bible is summed up with the words “every man under his vine and fig tree.” I imagine Jewish backyards with patios and landscaping, with lamb sizzling on the bbq and kids playing on the lawn. Having a home and family to fill it is one of life’s greatest rewards.

Why were the people blessed with this idyllic life? Because they had a good leader in King Solomon and they chose to fall under his leadership. Some cared for the king’s 40,000 stables. Others farmed to feed the palace one month out of 12. Sill more hauled rock and timber in rotating shifts in Lebanon.

The choice to come under that leadership brought blessing. There was time to do landscaping. There was time to let a tree grow big enough to enjoy its shade. Life was good because of a good leader and the choice of others to follow his lead.

Application

I have been blessed with a good leader in our pastor and in the leaders of our church. I’m thankful for them and open my heart to them.

Prayer
Father, help me to follow and to reap the rewards of following those whom you have placed in leadership over my life. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to Michael W. Smith sing “I’ll Lead You Home” while you read today’s devotion.

Scripture
Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 2 Samuel 6:12-13

Observation
Can you imagine having the golden, glittering ark with arching angels wings sitting in your livingroom for three months?  How differently would you speak, would you relate, and would you live? Better yet, what would the atmosphere of your home be like?

I can imagine a house with a holy hush, with an atmosphere drenched with that hazy heaviness that happens in holy moments in worship. It would be a home where relationships would be well oiled with love, decisions would be carefully made, and joy would echo through the halls.

Obed-edom got to babysit the presence of God in his home and everything changed. As wonderful as that was, what is offered to us is better than what his family enjoyed. He only had the ark in his house, while we, as believers in Christ, are the temple itself. The same presence of God that dwelt on the mercy seat, now hovers in our lives as we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The ark is already in our home and we need to rearrange all of our furniture and moments around it.

Application
Today is moving day for the McCallums. We are moving into our new home in Colorado Springs where I’m joining the staff of New Life Church. The house has a spectacular view of Pikes Peak. But I want more. I want the ark of God in my living room. Of all the pieces of furniture, don’t forget the ark! In Hawaii, I learned the power of a house blessing. It is a tradition among people so accustomed to Buddhist priests doing a mutant thing for their followers. So Christians will always ask their pastor to visit their new home and pray through all the rooms.

Prayer
Father, today as Levi and I move boxes would you send the angels to move in the ark as well? The most valuable piece of furniture is what is inside of us. Please, let the Holy Spirit loose. Amen.

Another song from the Watoto Children’s Choir is featured at the end of this devotion.

Scripture
The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Acts 21:8-9

Observation
Philip was a headline evangelist. His scrapbook was filled with yellowed clippings from his heady revival days. But none of the faded images of the revival in Samaria or the framed picture of Philip with the Treasurer of Ethiopia compared with his family album. In the end his the Bible, Philip was not remembered for a great church or events but for his four kids who honored the Lord.

It is so like Dr. Luke to include this snippet story about Philip in his history. Luke had a particular interest in how women fared in the early church, and while the inveterate researcher stayed at Philip’s house he would have quizzed him long into the night about the early days.

In a world focused on the achievements of men, Philip is a rare exception of a man who developed the hidden potential of his daughters. They were more than domestic backfill, these were women who could speak up and speak out for God. Their greatest achievement was their ability to hear God’s voice and to communicate his voice. What a legacy for a man to leave behind him!

I watched every moment of the funeral of the late Ruth Bell Graham. Billy was seated in the front row. His jet black hair and angular features were now whitened and rounded with age. What was most memorable to me from the funeral was the very last event. Dr. Graham was ushered out and his five children were strategically positioned at the exits of the church to speak to the guests who had come to honor their mother. Billy Graham has spoken in person to more people on the planet than any other Christian and quite likely than any other human being. Yet in the end what is remembered is family.

Application
What matters most in my life is not what can be recorded on a resume but only in a photo album. If I lead my life well what will matter most are not churches, sermons, or even changed lives but my children.

Prayer
Father, help me to actively and passively make a difference in the lives of my children today. Amen.

It was 1965 and this was my family. I’m the little guy on the right. Our family spanned the babyboom. My oldest brother was born in 1946 and me at the end in 1961. My sister doesn’t look very happy because she got in trouble for not standing still for the picture.  Doesn’t my Dad look like a rich man?

Scripture
How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing
for those who fear him.

May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.
May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.
May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
May Israel have peace! Psalm 128:1-6

Observation
Where are the great rewards found in life? Frequent flyer points? Maybe on the Dow Jones? Or how about Vegas? Nope. Not in any of those places. The world’s greatest reward is not found around the kitchen table with dad at the head, mom wiping spaghetti up from under the high chair, milk drizzling through a the crack in the middle of the table and lots of giggles hemming the edges. Relationships at home are the greatest treasure of life and children are a sign of prosperity.

For the first time in US history the number of nuclear families has dropped below 25 per cent of the population. Nonetheless the word of God is still stands true. The greatest blessing God can give in this life

to a man is his wife

and to a woman is her husband

and to husband and wife are children.

I’m glad that I was born before the microwave replaced the fireplace in the home. My mom planned her meal menu a month in advance and stocked her pantry and freezer with parts of the meal not packages. Mealtime was an event. Our plate always included meat, a green vegetable, a yellow one and salad. Desert followed like clockwork as did family prayers. My mom worked a full-time job to help keep five children fed and my brother in college. How she managed these productions without a microwave I’ll never know. But what an investment she made in our souls as well as our bodies. Those thirty minutes around the maple kitchen table followed by another 30 minutes around the kitchen sink hold the happiest memories of my life. Meal time was the cabinet meeting of our family. My folks weren’t rich but they were wealthy. Their nest eggs smiled at them every night as they dangled their little feet around the table.

I’ve been coaching my son through the process of buying his first home. He and his wife have scrimped and saved for a deposit, but the escalating cost of homes keeps eluding their grasp. Here’s what I told him. What matters most is not the house but the people in it. So God can delay things to get the family ready to move in. The proof of that the family matters more than the house is that in future years you will lose touch of homes that you own, but you will always want to keep in touch with your children. I’ve owned three houses, but I don’t phone their current owners to see how the water heater is holding up or if the pool is clean. Those homes served their season and are now memories. But I phone my children nearly every day, though we are scattered across 10,000 miles from one another. My children not my houses are my reward. I told my son, “Give God time to build what matters and dare to believe that he wants you to have a home more than you do. Just give him time.”

Application
How can we see this blessing delivered in microwave families? Listen to this advice:

How joyful are those who fear the Lord…

May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.

To inherit God’s richest blessings we need to do two things:

First fear the Lord. Remember that one of the prime mandates of being a parent is not to be popular. Our goal is not to keep our children happy. A happy home will come when we become more concerned with what God thinks than with what the neighbor’s kids are doing.

Second stay close to God’s people. God blesses families out of Zion the city of God. The city of God is the local church. The closer we stay to the fellowship of believers the nearer we come to the way God blesses families. It takes more than a whole village to raise a child, it takes a whole and healthy local church.

Prayer
Father, I want to see your blessing around my table. My kids are starting to scatter. It’s good because they are starting to take root and flourish where you have placed them. But I do ask for moments when you fulfill this promise and gather them all around our table in our home. I cannot imagine any reward greater than that. Amen.