“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything … But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:4,6).
One of my extraordinary experiences of 2020 was moving. Cara and I built a new home for the first time in our lives together.
Contractors
Throughout the process, God blessed us with wonderful people assisting us in our dream: living closer to church and being part of the immediate community. Some of those people are the contractors whose faithful work (during COVID) helped build our home.
Some of them I have gotten to know, because they’ve come back. Why? Warranty work. The water heater breaks down. The shower floor doesn’t drain. All in all, these are small problems compared to some of the major issues I’ve heard about from my new neighbors. I remain thankful.
Superintendent
Now, some of the contractors were not as responsive as others. For all of them, it wasn’t my job to motivate or schedule them. That was the builder’s job. A superintendent, whose job it is to ensure that the builder’s homes meet certain standards—he dealt with all the contractors. He is the guy I call when the cabinets don’t close correctly.
For the record, our builder has gladly and completely handled all of those issues. But the superintendent had to take it to the next level with some contractors to get things done. I’m glad for his authority and responsiveness. I will miss that when our one-year builder warranty expires next year.
Cara and I will be a bit more unprotected and on our own if issues arrive after the builder warranty expires. We put our hopes in the quality of construction and we will do our best to maintain the home properly.
Savior
And then there’s this. I was told that there is a superintendent of the superintendent. That his authority and responsiveness are even better, and will not expire at all. I can go to him if there is a problem, for the entire future of living in this home. He’ll take care of it.
His name is Jesus. He is more than a carpenter. He’s more than a superintendent who can take things to the next level. He is the builder’s Son, his right hand man, and he personally has authority and responsiveness for everything in my life.
Better yet, Jesus isn’t building me a place to live, where I can relax in front of the TV or sleep soundly in a comfortable bedroom. Jesus is building me. I am his project. I am “his house.”
God the Father designed my features, and loves pointing them out to people and saying, “See that? Isn’t it beautiful?!”
God the Son is given authority and responsibility by the Father to take care of me, to bless me with his grace even though I sin and fail, to fix me and heal me, to make sure I meet God’s standards.
And then, God the Holy Spirit moves in. He lives here. Right here, in me, and when I have my doubts about my quality of construction or get concerned about me being broken in any way, this reassures me—God is here.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for building me with your Father, and living in me with your Holy Spirit. Make me a house decorated with your beautiful blessings, and help me to shine so that others see you. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read Hebrews 3:1-6. How is Jesus compared to Moses? How is Jesus superior?