“Welcome! Make yourself at home!” This is one of the nicest things we can say when somebody arrives at our house. “Make yourself at home” means: come on in, be comfortable, get to know us and our space, be a part of our lives, we’re glad you’re here!
Who doesn’t love getting to be welcomed in to something like that? I sure do!
One day, my friend was telling me about how she teaches her grandson God’s Word. “I want the Bible to feel like home to him,” she said. Her statement summarized the core of true discipleship.
Discipleship is saying “Welcome! Make yourself at home!” about God’s Word to those entrusted to us – whether they are our kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, friends or youth. This invitation is the breath and heartbeat of discipleship. We welcome the next generation into the Bible, so that they begin to feel comfortable and familiar with every space and place of it. It’s like being invited into a mansion and beginning to explore every room of it. Only, the Bible is a million times better, because every room has promises and blessings and eternity-impacting truth.
Home is a place of belonging, and this is what the Bible should be for every Christian. As you seek God’s Word then speak it into those entrusted to you, it will become more and more familiar in both your life and theirs. Over time, the halls of the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – will become as familiar as walking through your own home with your eyes closed. And the characters of the Bible – from Adam to Jesus – will be as familiar as the members of your own family.
If we want the next generation to make God’s Word home for a lifetime, then it must be a place that feels very much like the ideal home: welcoming and intimate; filled with loved and trusted relationships; decorated with memories and dreams.
Family Disciple Me (FDM) will help you do this along life’s way as you SEEK HIM then SPEAK HIM. The FDM resources are designed to get you thinking about who God is and what His Word has to say, first for your own life, and then for the lives of those entrusted to you.
The truth is, there’s no place like home. This is nowhere more true than in God’s presence in His Word.
So, come on in. We’re glad you’re here.
Make yourself at home.