What does it mean to “build your own home”? Most people will assume it means to construct a house in which to live. In many cases, they would be correct, but let us look at how God wants us to build our own home.
Le’s look at the Hebrew meaning for “build”; the word is banah. Banah translates three ways: to build up, to repair or to obtain children.
Now that we see that we build our home with offspring, how do we go about doing that? “Do we plan our own family, or do we let the Lord choose? Remember, the Word says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’”
God also tells us to think generationally.
When God spoke to the children of Israel, He confirmed the power of generation thinking. “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” . . . “I am the God of thy fathers” is how He addressed them continually. Then He related the past to the future. When God spoke to Israel, He did not speak only to their present generation, but always included future generations. God’s plan is for building a godly dynasty that will carry on down the generations.
Nancy gives many scripture references to support generational thinking.
“God puts importance on the family name.” How does a family name continue? Through the birth and life of a son. In so many cases, family names die out because of no children or lack of sons because parents stop at one or two children. As for us, if we want to pass on the family name, we will have to have at least ten children! I believe the importance of passing on a family name is the legacy it leaves.
Let’s look at what a legacy can contribute to society. Jonathan and Sarah Edwards had twelve children after being married in 1727. By 1900, their godly marriage blessed society with
- 13 college presidents
- 65 professors
- 100 lawyers and a dean of an outstanding law school
- 30 judges
- 60 doctors and a dean of a medical school
- 80 holders of public office including 3 United States Senators
- 3 Mayors of large cities
- 3 State governors
- A Vice President of the United States
- A Controller of the United States Treasury
What can your family do for God and society? Think about the impact you can have on future generations. You can greatly influence not just your own family, but your country by how you decide to build your home.
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