Serving God starts at home!

BY MATTHEW ONG SIONG HENG

When was the last time you enjoyed an intimate conversation with your parents and siblings? For me, it is during this circuit breaker period that I get to spend time with my family: doing things together, such as cleaning the house, learning to cook some dishes from my mother, washing clothes and many other chores.  Hence, I would like to share with you a scripture passage that God showed me in my quiet time recently, where God reminded me that serving Him starts from home!

            The passage is Exodus 4: 18-26: Moses went back to his father-in-law, Jethro to seek permission to return to his people in Egypt because he was concerned about their welfare. Without any doubt, Jethro granted Moses leave with his blessings. God had revealed to Moses that those who sought his life had all passed away during his forty years sojourn in Midian. Therefore, Moses took his wife (Zipporah) and sons on a donkey and with the staff given by God in his hand, to set off for Egypt.

            But, there was a twist from verse 24 onward. God was about to kill Moses at a lodging place on the way to Egypt. At this point, I wondered why God wanted to kill Moses. The passage revealed to me that to save Moses, Zipporah reluctantly circumcised her son with a flint knife and the foreskin touched Moses feet. We need to understand what the Lord had spoken in Genesis 17- the sign of the covenant where circumcision is a requirement for every male in a Hebrew household. This was a test of Moses’ obedience to God. However painful it might be, it was necessary in learning to trust God completely. Moses had neglected to obey God's command.

            We learn from the passage that obedience to God’s commands comes first and it also has to take place within the family first. “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Tim 3:5)  Likewise, success in managing one’s family indicates one's ability to manage the church. Therefore, success in managing your family reminded me that serving God starts from home. My parents and some of my siblings have yet to believe in our Lord Jesus as their Saviour. I have this burden for them and pray earnestly for many years that God would use me and other brothers and sisters to be His light to bring them to Him.

            I believe that no amount of our ministry or calling or job outside the home excuses us from living within the standard that God sets inside the home. And that is to honour our father and mother (Exodus 20:12). I believe that since we have a good and intimate relationship with God, we must also have the same relationship with our parents because honouring our parents honours God. If we take the lesson of the cross as the example, the vertical is the relationship between God and us, while the horizontal is the relationship between us and the world. I believe that whatever God has taught us, we have to start sharing with our family first and then to other people around us.

            Brothers and sisters, I believe that serving God inside the home would also strengthen our service to Him outside the home. If we want to serve God, it starts from home. I pray that God will speak to you personally to guide you to serve Him in your own family first. All Glory unto Him!