Building a house

When I came out of the Air Force, I needed to find a place to live. We knew we wanted a house of our own so we looked at all the options. One of the options available to us was building a home. Before I could even consider building a home, I was told the things that had to be done first. I needed to find a piece of land that I could build on. Then, the land had to be surveyed, zoned, check the sewage system, and graded. All of that was before any construction could take place. After all this was done and checked off on, then and only then could I start to build my home. I ended up going another direction on my home, but the process did bring some perspective in other areas of my life. Now, how does all this relate to faith? Becoming a Christian and building a house are very similar. In order to be saved and to live a Christian life, there are certain things that need to be done up front. First you have to find the land. Basically you have to find a way to make time to allow Gods word to reach you and you have to be willing to listen once it does. Just like you had to find the right place for the house, if you do not allow yourself to be exposed to His word and do not take the time to open your heart to Him, nothing can go forward. He is always knocking at the door. If we do not open the door and let Him in, then we can not expect to receive Him and have Him active in our lives. Next we have to clear the land, meaning we need to get rid of the reasons holding us back from Him. We have to clear away the excuses and the distractions that we allow to get in the way. I have heard so many folks say “if I ever set foot in a church I might burn up”, or “with all that I have done, no way God would take me back. But that’s the great thing, that sinner, that lost person is exactly who God is looking for the most! If we just humble ourselves and come to Him and get rid of all the junk that is holding us back, He will rejoice as we have come home to Him. Without this step, we can not build. Now that we have the Word of God, now that we have the foundation in Him, we can build our house. If we build our house without that foundation, it will fall. It will not have the strength to stand against what the world will throw at it. But, if we build our house on the Rock that is our Lord and Savior then we can stand up to anything. He will be that shelter in the storm that we need. But it takes work. Just because our house is built, does not mean the work is over though. You still have to do the upkeep. For Christians that means staying in the word and following its teachings. It means spreading the name of God as we are commanded to do. It means that we have to guard ourselves and keep from back sliding into Satan’s grasp and allowing him to destroy the house that was built. God is the rock on which I choose to build my life on. He is the foundation I know I can count on at all times. He is the reason I have joy in my heart and hope in my life. Through Him, all things are possible. I know He is active in my life. He can be in yours too, but you have to be willing to allow it to happen. Are you ready to build your house yet?