One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 88:119. It reads: “Organize yourselves: establish every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” I like this scripture because it gives specific areas that you should work on. I am someone who likes to make goals and work towards specific things, and this scripture helps me to look at areas of my life that I might not otherwise consider.
It is so important to make our homes a house of God. We want others to feel the spirit when they are in our homes. We also want a place of refuge from the world for our families and ourselves. By working on each of the areas mentioned earlier in the scripture, we can work towards establishing a true house of God. The first three prayer, fasting and faith go together. As we pray, fast and practice and strengthen our faith we will be building a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father. These habits will help our children to also strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father.
I especially love the concept of a house of learning. It is important that we make learning and teaching the gospel a central focus of family life. Family home evening and family scripture study are great ways to teach the gospel. Living the gospel is another great way. I also think it is important to encourage our children to learn as much as possible. Education opens doors. Additionally I have found the more I understand the way that science and nature work, the more my faith in God is strengthened.
I think a house of order is also an important thing to help our children. A clean home leads to less fighting. It allows you time to spend together in a relaxing and positive environment. Teaching your children to clean and giving them chores and responsibility will help them learn to work hard, and learn the satisfaction of good hard work. Outside of this you need to think of areas that may be detracting from the order and peace of your home. You may need to limit the amount of television you watch as a family or choose quiet peaceful music to play in the background.
A house of glory is especially important. It is vital to recognize God’s hand in all things. It is important to give thanks for the blessings in your life. It is also important to teach your children this. By living the gospel and acknowledging God’s hand in your life, you are giving glory to God. It is important to remember your utter reliance on Him.
Related Articles: