As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. — 1 Peter 2:4-5
In America today, it is estimated that there are over 130 million housing units, the majority of which are single family dwellings. Wherever you go, whether it be large cities, the suburbs, small towns or rural communities, houses are a common sight. Now I realize that you know all of that but have you ever given much thought about how a house is built? What’s the process? Where do you begin? What holds up the ceiling and walls? What keeps the rain out? What parts go into making the house complete? How many people are involved in the whole process? How much will it cost?
We could look at hundreds of pictures of houses and we would find that they all have something in common—the majority are built in the same way. They start out with a plan, then comes the grading and preparing of the building site, then the foundation is poured, the framing is done, the windows and doors are installed, then the roof, then the inside, etc. It’s all done step by step according to a plan and the result, when done right, will be a beautiful structure, built to last—with a proud new owner. Well, building “a spiritual house” is no different. That, by the way, is what the Bible calls you and me and it also starts with a plan—God’s plan.
Rick Warren in his best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, reminds us, “You are no accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it.” King David spoke of God’s plan in his own life when he said, ” . . . your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).
No one is born a Christian. We may have had wonderful Christian parents but we didn’t become believers in Jesus Christ until we personally asked him to come into our heart and be the Savior and Lord of our life. In that process, from birth to new birth and beyond—God began the building process by levelling out our rough spots, scraping away those tough exteriors, plowing up our rebellious spirits and removing those giant boulders of resistance from our hearts so he could lay a foundation and build something really beautiful without the stain of sin (Isaiah 1:18). He also proclaims it to be a temple, a holy temple, and he spared no cost.
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, for God’s temple is holy and you together are that temple. — 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with you bodies. — 2 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have never built a house. Well, I take that back—I did build a life-sized playhouse for my girls in our backyard when they were little. I was so proud of that house that I built from scratch (without plans by the way), until a wind storm came along and pushed it over on its side and flattened it. Little did I know then that in order to build a house that would stand (even a playhouse), it must be built on a solid foundation by someone who knows what they’re doing.
The foundation of our “spiritual house” is, of course, Jesus Christ. He is the plan, the beginning point of all the measurements and the focus of our new structure which the Bible calls, “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is the one who gives us direction, stability, strength, and our uniqueness. When he is finished, our building will look like no other—and it will last for all eternity. Now that’s a long time!
My little girls initially put their trust in me when I built their playhouse because they thought I knew what I was doing. Well, I’m sure I disappointed them but this one thing I have learned since about building a house—”a spiritual house.” When it’s built on the right foundation, it can never be blown over or destroyed, no matter how great the winds— because Jesus Christ is the builder (Matthew 7:24-27). Maranatha!
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain . . . Psalm 127:1
To help us walk closer with God and to know Him better.
