So far, we have laid the foundation, in which, the cornerstone is Jesus Christ, the Word of God. We have followed that up with the framing, which is faith and hope. This should be like the backbone of our life and our relationships. We also talked about how we should have pastors, mentors, and counselors who help us to stay on course when we are in over our heads; they are the skilled subcontractors. We will look at more of the building of the house today.
Once the home has been built up, the builder will then complete what they call the dry-in stage. This ensures that the contents of the house are rain and weather proof. This next stage is when the roof is put onto the house. The roof is a pretty clear picture already, a shelter that protects you, but what is the roof of a godly home? And his banner over me is love. Song of Solomon 2:4b Love. God’s love is our roof, our shelter. We must not only accept and become aware of God’s love for us, but we must also be God’s love to others. A godly home and family will show itself through love.
Once the house is framed and covered, the floor will be laid out. A floor is what we walk on, and symbolically, it is what we walk out. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:16-17. We are to walk in the spirit and not in the desires of our flesh. Walking in the spirit brings the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, thankfulness, self-control), and the way that you test if you are walking in the spirit or the flesh is by checking your life for those fruits. No fruit means that you are not giving your walk and your life over to God in surrender. The fruits of the spirit come through walking in the spirit! Our homes should be filled with lots of fruit!
With our roof in place, we have become protected from the weather that comes unannounced, but what about the things that come knocking? The next thing in building our godly homes, are the doors and windows. These represent our eyes and our hearts. When temptations come our way, they come directly to the front door, or look in through the windows. If eyes are the window to the soul, how is our soul affected when we look upon things we should not? Lusts of the eyes, wrath, and evil come through our eyes. It’s like that song, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see…” We must be careful what comes through our eyes because it affects the inside of our house, too, when we let it in. Our heart can also be affected by what we let inside of us. When we allow bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, and hatred to come in through the front door of our heart, then we have become the hosts to them willingly! We must guard our hearts against those things so that the contents of our homes are not destroyed by them. Likewise, we must answer the door to righteous calling. Revelation 3:20 states, Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. The doors and windows of your home are your access to visitors, both helpful and harmful.
As our house is nearing its completion, we see that we must receive God’s love and allow His protection to be our roof. We must also receive the fruits of His spirit as the floor on which we walk. Finally, we must use our doors and windows (our senses) to receive the righteous and keep out the unclean.
Self-Reflection
Where do you stand in knowing the love of God?
Evaluate your life for fruit. Are you walking in flesh or spirit?
Are there things that you have allowed to come through your windows and doors that are causing damage to what is inside of your “home”?