Daily Devotional for December 2, 2013

Hebrews 3:1-6
My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest!  Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all of God’s people.  But Jesus deserves more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house.  Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.
 
Moses was a faithful servant and told God’s people what would be said in the future.  But Christ is the Son in charge of God’s people. And we are those people, if we keep on being brave and don’t lose hope.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
In 39+ years of marriage, Greg and I have moved more than ten times.  Two of those moves were into new houses that were constructed for us by the same builder… and another was a house he remodeled for us.  It would be safe to say that we are partial to Willie Stone Construction Co. This father/son duo and crew have built a reputation in our area for creating beautiful homes and doing quality work.
 
We’ve added our “touch” to every house in which we have lived.  Some were created by reputable builders who put quality work into every board and nail.  Others were less than they appeared and required constant upkeep and repairs.  So while we always made them look nice, the understructure was not always top notch!  We learned through experience and careful observation that who you choose as your builder matters! We also learned that it matters who is in charge of the crew.  Some sub-contractors worked very hard day in and out… while others worked far harder and faster when the boss was on the scene!  In the end, the house will only be as good as its designer and builder… only as sound as those who actually did the work and the person(s) who supervised them and checked the work.
 
So what does this have to do with our spiritual life and living with hope?  Why was this analogy even used in scripture to present this message?  Here’s how I see it.  God is the builder… Jesus is the supervising contractor… and we are the house.  We were designed and created by God. Jesus came to earth to show us how to live in the house God built for us… to “supervise” our growth and development as His disciples and to actually give us life through His death on the cross… and our lives as Christians are the end result.  If we pay attention, listen well, and live with hope and confidence in Jesus, our “structure” will be sound – and last into Eternity.  If we play fast and loose and allow shoddy workmanship in the form of sin and the devil’s tricks to factor into our lives, we’ll always need upkeep and repairs… our lives might very well crumble and fall into disrepair… and they might even become “uninhabitable.”
 
We must stay strong.  We must make wise choices.  We must seek the best “Builder” for our life (God) and put our faith in a “Supervisor” (Jesus Christ) who will create in us a quality product.  We must be on the lookout and guard our hearts against shoddy workmanship and shortcuts.  We must truly stay strong and selective and say, “I will only be a house built by God Almighty!”  We must claim that “on Christ the solid rock I stand,” as the old hymn says…and have hope and confidence that He will build nothing but the best in us.
 
Who have you chosen as your Ultimate Builder?  How firm is your foundation?  Are YOU built to last into Eternity?  Don’t you want to be? Isn’t it time you chose Jesus as your “supervisor” and placed your hope in Him?  Will this be the day you begin?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus