Men, how aware are we of the great battle, in both the spiritual and physical realms, to stop the light shining in and from our home? We must understand that God wants our home to be a type of mini church. Just as we are both individually and collectively the temple of the Holy Spirit, even so our home should be viewed in the same way. Whatever we would not allow in the church, e.g. worldly movies and music, worldly literature, and ungodly electronics etc., should not be fit for our lighthouses.

The truth is that whatever we allow into our home is what will come out of our home. The other truth is that whatever we allow into our home will also be what we allow into our own heart and life.

What effect would a lighthouse have to warn ships of dangerous rocks if the keeper of the lighthouse filled its interior with more and more of the same rocks it was supposed to be warning against? How crazy that would be. And yet this is exactly what multitudes of "Christian" lighthouses are doing. Many homes, like ships, are trying to navigate their way through the storms of life, but where are the brilliant lighthouses with each family member another powerful flashing light bulb warning of the dangers of worldly rocks that can are destroying so many family ships trying to find a safe harbor.

Matthew 5:14-16 says, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

2Corinthians 3:17 says, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." This is freedom to do what is right without force. It follows yesterday's post on Mr. Perfect.

Men, there is a place between being a Mr. Perfect and a Mr. Negligent. Mr. Negligent is indifferent to his wife and family's values and behavior. He doesn't give much attention to what they watch, who they hang out with, their education, or their church involvement. Mr. Negligent is not attentive to his wife or family's needs as much as he ought to be.

Mr. Negligent is just as bad as Mr. Perfect, possibly worse. His wife feels that she has to take control of most family matters. Mr. Negligent does not care about discipline for he himself is not disciplined or self-controlled. Mr. Negligent thinks he's doing fine as long as he brings home the bacon, or picks up his unemployment check from the government. Mr. Negligent is the complete opposite of Mr. Perfect, but both need balance.

To be easy going provides a vacuum for being a responsible husband and father. To be a little easy going, but at the same time, attentive, involved, and committed to your wife and family's needs is much better. Mr. Perfect needs to tone down on being overly demanding, which tends to engender tension, stress, and over control which robs the family of godly freedom.

Home is meant to be "Home, Sweet Home." A home of balanced order.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Romans 15:1 says, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

The most devastating earthquakes are generally not caused by minor fault lines in the earth's crust, but by major fault lines. Men, do not be a trivial fault-finder, but rather a fault over-looker. I'm not saying that major faults should not be addressed. Indeed, they should be. However, many marriages and families are weakened by individuals who make it their business to find fault in their spouse and children far too much.

Hair line crack fault-finders soon become a major fault line in their marriage and family. Most hair line cracks in the ankle bones of runners will heal quickly when given a chance to rest. They do not need to be x-rayed and given major surgery every day. In the same way, if you have gravitated into the x-ray fault finding daily habit you need to back down, lay off, and give your wife and family some needed rest. And time to heal.

Mr. Perfect will never have a perfect family. Rather, Mr. Perfect's family will most likely be brow beaten, insecure, nervous, rebellious, and gun-shy wrecks who never seem to be able to measure up to their father's perfect standards!

Men, you will not be able to deal with the major faults in your family if you have made far too much of the minor ones. Mr. Perfect shows imperfection by not cutting some slack to his wife and children when they need it. Our most perfect Heavenly Father is perfect, not just because of His demands on us to be His perfect children, but because of His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness towards us when we fall. He manifests His perfection in these attributes as well as His commands.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Jeremiah 8:22 asks, "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?" This is an interesting question. Evidently Gilead was a center for an aromatic gum of supposed medicinal value. The word Gilead means "uncertain" and according to the two references, Jeremiah 8:22 and 46:11, the balm of Gilead could not heal the deep inner wounds of the soul and spirit.

The good news is that Christ can heal all wounds, whether small or great, shallow or deep. Jesus Christ is not the uncertain balm of Gilead. He is the sure balm of Heaven, provided at Mariah, "the place where Yahweh provides" (Genesis 22:8, 14). Isaiah 53:5 tells us that "with his stripes we are healed."

Men, most marriages break up because of inner wounds, the result of destructive words and attitudes. Some marriages break up because of physical violence caused by uncontrolled anger. Worldly marriage counseling is the uncertain balm of Gilead. It may smell good, but cannot heal the broken spirit. The true church knows by the experience of the new birth (John 3:16) that every marriage can be healed if both parties are willing to go to the cross of Christ and receive healing through His stripes.

We must embrace Christ's death, burial, and resurrection power to put to death our own self will, negative speech, and attitudes. We can then arise out of the grave and prison of our own ideas and lifestyle. It is only then that we will experience the true healing balm, healing us, as well as our wife and family.

Men, please join me in your prayers this that the destructive forces that are weakening the testimony of Christ and His church will be broken and destroyed. Pray with me that Christ's healing balm will heal our marriages and children.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell