"Your Home Affects the Strength of Our Nation"

by WXAN & KMHM General Manager, Doug Apple

Christians talk about the decline of our nation. They point out such indicators as the Ten Commandments fiasco in Alabama, or the discussion of homosexual marriage.

But it's my opinion that if we Christians would focus on stabilizing our own homes, the nation as a whole would stabilize as well. One old quote backs this up: “The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its homes.” We should follow the example of King David's words in Psalm 101:2 “…I will walk in my house with a blameless heart.” So how can we do this? The psalmist offers more advice by his example.

Psalm 101:1 says, “I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.” Do songs of God's praises fill your home? Sing them yourself. Sing them as a family. Sing while you're doing laundry or trimming the bushes. A home is stabilized as it is filled with songs of praise. If you're not a singer…well, that's where a good radio or CD player comes in handy.

David adds this pledge, “I will be careful to lead a blameless life…” Compare this to our usual way thinking, “I will be careful not to get caught”! So ask yourself, “Am I doing things in my home that I don't want to get caught doing because they are wrong?” Any good reason to keep doing it?

Here's one area we need to truly be careful of in our homes. Verse 3 says, “I will set before my eyes no vile thing…” Think of all the things you set before your eyes in your home, and consider eliminating anything that might be considered vile.
And when it comes to these things we allow into our homes and minds, we mustn't forget the “cling-to” factor. David writes, “The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.” When we allow certain worldly things into our minds, they tend to cling to us, like a cocklebur. Once it's on you, it's hard to flick off! Evil works the same way. Once it's in your mind and life, it's hard to get it out.

There is more good advice in Psalm 101, so I recommend you look it up for yourself. Yes, I agree that our nation may be decaying. But I think certain current events are just symptoms that have occurred because our Christian homes are not as healthy as they should be. When the Christians of America draw closer to God, the entire nation will be more spiritually healthy and, as a whole, more stable.