Hammer And Nails

“Blessed is everyone who fears, reveres, and worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments … behold, thus shall the man be blessed who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord.” (Psalm 128:1-4)

My pastor shared these verses with our congregation along the theme of home improvement. During the entire sermon, my wheels were spinning and my heart was being stirred within! As Pastor reiterated time and time again, we can have the grandest home with the most elaborate furnishings, yet if the heart of the home …relationships… is broken, the home is simply a house!

While my pastor challenged the men especially, I couldn’t help but be convicted and encouraged. As head of the homes, the men must lead in every category. We have to stop hiding behind our jobs, the TV set, and our heritage. We may have not had the best father. Perhaps we had no male figure while growing up or just bad examples of manhood. Then again, maybe you’re like me and just blown it all by yourself at times and have no one to blame but the man in the mirror!

As my pastor spoke of how Christ builds the home (or rebuilds it!) as He is in my home, my thoughts went to three things: a hammer and nails and a tool belt. I thought back two-thousand years ago when a Roman soldier took a hammer and some very heavy thick nails and nailed my Jesus on the cross for me. To me, that was the beginning of my rebuilding project. The cross needs to be my focal point if I am to allow Him to be the architect of my life and home.

So how do I strap on my spiritual tool belt and hammer away failures, nail down Biblical principles, and do the necessary home improvements? Start with an empty belt with lots of storage. Buckle it up and secure it around the waist. Load it with local fellowship at a Bible teaching church, private study of God’s word, small group study with like-minded believers, prayer throughout the day, accountability to a few men (women for you ladies) who will strongly hold you accountable, and specialized hand-tools such as humility, sacrifice, forgiveness, and a servant’s heart.

It does no good to have the tools in the garage (or in the back of the car). Home improvement takes work … labor ... sweat. We can’t avoid the church, the pastor, and our friends when we need help. The more we run from the work, the more the structure decays. It’s time to stop running and get to work! Our family is worth it! No more excuses of what others did or did not do. Are we willing to make the necessary improvements? Here’s the challenge, from the original Home Builder:

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, so that He might sanctify her by the washing of water by the Word. That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor … even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.” (Ephesians 5:25-28)