Mark 3:24-25: “If a kingdom (house) is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” 

These are the words of Jesus himself which are relevant and a priority to every man who leads a family. This is an important leadership responsibility which must have love, encouragement, and perseverance. We see so many houses and families today become divided and driven apart by the worldly culture which is permeating the very environment in which we live. A man’s leadership sets the core values, harmony, and spiritual atmosphere in his home. Passive leadership is not leadership. To keep our homes and families in unity and not divided takes strong, effective, and active leadership. Jesus gives us the warning of what happens when our homes become divided.

The only way to keep unity is to have a common goal, purpose, and unselfish commitment to God’s Word and Jesus Christ. Joshua may have said it best, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” When a man leads his own house to serve the Lord, the core and spiritual values, atmosphere, purpose, and perseverance are all in order and will deter division. It means that all members are on the same page and living out God’s plan. Just as Joshua took responsibility and didn’t care what others would do, we must make certain that everyone in our house will serve the Lord. If not, that house cannot stand. When it is built on Christ, it is built on the Solid Rock which can stand the storms of life. Before Joshua made the statement given above, he asked the question that we must each ask ourselves, “Choose this day whom you will serve?” However, it must be more than just words. The people Joshua was leading gave him this answer, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.” This is what we must live out and become the unifying commitment in our homes and families so that they do not become divided from generation to generation.