Heaven at Your House

Try praying the Lord's prayer for your address and let God remodel your life and your home.

Have you ever thought of praying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done at [put in your address] as it is in heaven?”
When I pray the Lord’s prayer the “on earth” words can overwhelm. I think, “Wow, wouldn’t that be amazing if God changed the world?” It’s such a large request it’s easy to see yourself as a spectator.
When you narrow it down to your address you realize that for heaven to come to your own house it’ll require you participate in the change. You can’t just be a spectator of God turning your house into heaven on earth.
God would, no doubt, do some physical remodeling. He may even do some landscaping, but what He really wants to remodel is the inhabitants. He wants to put the anger, bitterness, frustration, complaining, and bickering in the trash and get it out of the house. He wants to replace it with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy. peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Wow, talk about a model home!
Think about it. What would you like most for your children? You want them to have a better life than what the world is now offering. You’d love for them to live in a home closer to heaven on earth. You’d love for them to live in a world closer to heaven on earth.
How do you get your home to be more like heaven on earth?
“Thy kingdom come” implies that God is not being treated as ruler of the house but that you are inviting Him to come in and be ruler. You’re inviting him to be designer, shopper, entertainment chooser, and makeover authority. You say, “Father God, I want my home to be like heaven on earth. Show me what to do to make it like heaven.”
But, heaven on earth is much more than a “show.” It’s a “give.” The fruit of the Spirit is not something you pick up at the grocery store. It’s a gift from heaven to fill your house. The ultimate in remodeling is a remodeling of your heart. When your heart becomes a basket you fill by pointing it at heaven and asking God to fill it, you get something very different than when you turn on the nightly news to get the world’s latest reasons to live in fear and worry.
What’s really wonderful is that heaven is not a nasty dictatorship. God is not out to make you eat broccoli if you’re not a broccoli lover. God’s “kingdom” offers the opportunity for astounding creativity and individuality within boundaries of goodness.
If God brought his kingdom to earth it would not be rows and rows of identical houses. God loves uniqueness.
Try it out. Pray the Lord’s prayer for your address. Invite God to come remodel your life and your home.
To hear from Pastor Greg about the House and Home of Northlands Church, check out this sermon: https://northlandschurch.com/watch/sunday-morning/the-hand-the-pearl-and-the-pot, “The Hand, the Pear and the Pot” from December 17, 2017.