God Builds the House

In a time when many families feel like they’re barely holding it together, there’s a message that brings real hope. It’s a message rooted in God’s original design for our homes and relationships—one that reminds us He is still at work, restoring what’s been broken through His grace.

Imagine, for a moment, a house built entirely of love. Every brick, every beam, every nail is an place with the purpose of fostering love for God and love for one another. This is the blueprint God has for our families, as outlined in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

This passage reveals that love is not just a feeling, but an action. It's about taking great interest and pleasure in God and in others, doing good for them, and focusing on their well-being. All of God's commandments, when boiled down to their essence, are about love – loving God and loving our neighbor.

But here's the stark reality: we've all failed to love as we should. Our homes, designed to be fortresses of love, have become unstable structures weakened by sin. Every harsh word, every act of disobedience, every moment of neglect is like removing a crucial support beam. The house that God designed begins to sway precariously.

Yet, in the midst of this instability, there's good news. God has a plan for an extreme makeover of our lives and our families. It's a plan rooted not in our ability to follow rules perfectly, but in His overwhelming grace.

When children ask why they must obey, the answer isn't "because I said so" or even "because God "because God said so." The profound answer given in Deuteronomy 6:20-25 points this: "Obey because you've been delivered by grace." It points back to God's rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt, foreshadowing an even greater deliverance to come.

This is where the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ – enters our story in a transformative way. Jesus came to live the life of perfect love that we couldn't. He never disobeyed his parents, never spoke an unkind word to his siblings, always loved God the Father with his whole being. And in an act of incomprehensible grace, he offers to exchange his perfect record for our broken one.

On the cross, Jesus took upon himself every sin, every failure to love, that He allowed the house of our self-righteousness to come crashing down on him so that we might receive his righteousness. It's as if we failed a crucial test, but Jesus gives us his A+ and takes our F upon himself.

This isn't just ancient history or abstract theology. It's the foundation for rebuilding our families with grace as the cornerstone. When we truly grasp this exchange – that we are forgiven and accepted because of Christ's work, not our own – it revolutionizes how we approach family life.

Parents who understand they are recipients of grace can extend that same grace to their children. Children who grasp God's forgiveness can learn to forgive siblings and honor parents, not out of mere duty, but out of gratitude for what God has done.

Practically, this might look like:

• Believing the gospel for yourself first. Recognize that your standing with God is based on Jesus' perfect record, not your parenting successes or failures.
• Helping your kids obey, much like the Holy Spirit helps us. Instead of just demanding compliance, come alongside them in the task. Implementing "gospel-centered timeouts" that focus on repentance and restoration rather than just punishment.
• Being intentional about not setting children up for failure, but creating environments where they can succeed.
• Using everyday moments, like car rides, to have meaningful conversations about faith and life.

One poignant example brings this all to life. Picture a family planning a fun outing to a trampoline park. The morning starts rough, with a child refusing to clean his room and tension mounting. The outing is canceled as a consequence. But on the car run errands instead, grace intervenes.

The parents initiate a conversation about sin, consequences, and most importantly – the forgiveness available through Jesus. They explain that grace means getting something good you don't deserve. And then, to the child's amazement, they pull into the parking lot of the trampoline park after all. It's a tangible demonstration of the very grace they've just discussed.

This story beautifully illustrates the journey many families are on. We start with God's perfect design of love. We encounter the reality of our failures and weak ability they create. But then, through Christ, we experience restoration and the opportunity to rebuild on a foundation of grace.

It's important to note that this rebuilding process doesn't happen overnight. Just as extreme home makeovers take time, effort, and intentionality in the physical world, so too does the spiritual renovation of our families. It requires patience, perseverance, and a continual returning to the wellspring of God's grace.

The invitation is clear: let's build our homes and families around God's love. Let's recognize our need for the extreme makeover that only Christ can provide. And then forward, brick by brick, constructing lives and relationships that reflect the transformative power of grace.

In a time where families often feel fragile and fractured, this message offers hope. It reminds us that no matter how unstable our home life may feel, God is in the business of restoration. He is ready to pour out His love, forgiveness, and strength, enabling us to create the kind of families He designed from the beginning – houses built on and filled with love.