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So, now we are off to a running start on the Home Reno Project called The Family Workshop.  On a good day, it is all of us moving in the right direction, together.  On a a bad day, it is an ugly tug of war.  What rights the ship?  What turns things right ’round?  Remembering Whose we are and why we are here…From Part 1 of the Home Builder’s Agreement: I know that my primary purpose, the reason I was created, is to accurately reflect God’s image.

The best way to keep our minds and hearts on the same page, if you can possibly forgive such a bad pun, is starting the day with the Holy Word of God.  It is the foundation of each day, the foundation of our relationship with Jehovah God, the foundation of our relationships with one another, and the foundation of our House.  Here are just a few reasons why this is true in our House:

• Scripture teaches us about Who God is – what His character is like:  He is gracious and merciful (Psalm 116:5).  He does not lie or change His mind; He does what He says He will do (Numbers 23:19).  He is Holy and a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Revelation 4:8).  He is a shield for the righteous and the giver of good gifts (Psalm 84:11-12). He is faithful (1 Corinthians 10:13).  He is a god of peace, not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).  His love is so great that He sent His only Son to die for us so that we would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16-17).

• Scripture teaches us who we are in God’s eyes:  We are but dust, like the grass of the field (psalm 103:14-15). Yet He calls us His children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26, 28, 4:6; Romans 8:14).  We are the salt of the earth, the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14).  We are a friend of Christ; His brother really, a co-heir (John 15:15; Romans 8:17). We are ambassadors for Christ, as if He were making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20; Acts 1:8). We are God’s handiwork, created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).  We are a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• Scripture reminds us to keep our thoughts and hearts on the eternal, not earthly, things: The earth is not our home, our home is with God in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-8; Hebrews 13:14).  Believing in Christ’s death and resurrection for our forgiveness and reconciliation with God leads us to eternal life with Him (John 5:24; Romans 6:23; John 3:16; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 15:13).  God has a plan for us and for the world and it is good and it will be accomplished in His time (Romans 5:12, 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11; John 18:26, Matthew 16:18; Isaiah 46:10; Genesis 50:20).

The entire premise of this project is that God’s Plan is in His Word and He is faithful to it…we can trust Him to follow through on His promises.  He commands us to build our lives on His Word.  God works in us through the Holy Spirit and by the power of His Word to mold us and change us and make us into the vessels He created us to be.  He will do this for us and for our family.

Sometimes we get discouraged by the difficulty we have in living a life pleasing to Him.  We fail time and time again.  We are overwhelmed by our own inadequacy.  But our hope is found not in our own ability to make change – but in His. His plan is that by hearing His Word AND Doing it, we will be made like Him.  It is what it means to Abide in Him – to live in the Word (John 15:5).  His Word enables us to know and obey Him.  Obedience gives us peace.  When we live the Word in our families, teaching it to our children, building our lives on it, we construct our House on a firm foundation (Matthew 7:24-25).  Here is the second section of The Home Builder’s Agreement:

2. This House has a firm foundation; it is built on the Word of God.

• I commit to the study and application of God’s Word for continuous, personal (and family) spiritual growth.
• I acknowledge the Holy Scriptures to be the Inspired Word of God.  It is His story, and mine too.  It is a gift from Him to me.
• The Word of God is alive and active in my home.  It penetrates my life, even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow.  My heart is laid bare before Him to whom I must give an account.
• I reject the standards for living that set by the world.  Instead, I embrace the standard that has been set by God, in the Three Persons of the Trinity, as described in the Word.

We will talk later about different ways to weave the Word into your daily life.  Today, let’s all remember to be thankful for the gift that God has given us – His Word.  It is life affirming, life changing. Awesome!