mtl Magazine: my home 
The Power of Scripture as Home Decor
by Amelia Nizynski
Whether you're thumbing through the latest home decor magazine or catching one of the many decorating shows on television, designers encourage you to add personal touches to your home—to take a design style and personalize it. Your home is a reflection of who you are. If you walk into a house with multiple pictures of boats, you know that they must like the water. If you visit your neighbor and they have family pictures everywhere, you know that family is very important to them. The same thing happens when you walk into a home that has been personalized with decor pieces that prominently feature God's Word. All who enter know that a family of faith lives there.
One of my friends told me a story. One day, a repairman visited their home. After he finished his work upstairs, he came downstairs to the kitchen with the bill. As she wrote the check, the repairman asked her where she went to church. She told him where they worshipped and invited him to visit. Later she wondered what caused him to ask that question. They had only talked about carpeting. As she walked upstairs later that evening, she realized what prompted the question. As you walk through the front door to her home, the first thing you see is a framed art piece with Joshua 24:15. Upstairs, a collection of crosses hangs on the wall in the family room. In the kitchen sits a beautiful art piece with the fruits of the Spirit. The repairman knew he was in a home of a Christian family.
God asks us to know His Word well. Shortly after Moses announced God's commandments to His people, Moses shared these words: Listen...The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home...Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7, 9).
There are three reasons why Moses encouraged the Israelites to repeat and write God's Word: to remember, to reinforce and to reflect His teachings. These same reasons apply to displaying symbols of your faith, especially items with God's Word on them, in your home.
All of us tend to forget. We don't always remember all the ways that God has been faithful to us in the past or all the promises He made to us for the future. Every day we need reminders: Trust in the Lord with all your heart... (Proverbs 3:5); I call on you, O God for you will answer me... (Psalm 17:6); "I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord... (Jeremiah 29:11). The list goes on and on. Filling your home or office with items that center on God's Word is a wonderful way to remind you of His faithfulness in every circumstance, and to give you a way to share your faith to those who enter your home.
A wall cross, piece of framed art or coffee mug with God's Word is something you see or use every day. Even though you may not stop and read it each time you pass it, God's Word soaks in over time. It becomes imprinted on your heart. And when you need to sense a touch from God, He will help you recall the encouraging words from His Word that fill your home.
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