Devotion - Thursday, Oct 22

I pray that you will forgive me if my illustrations for these morning reflections arise out of the work being done on the Habitat house. They are called "Teaching moments," those opportunities which present themselves in the course of a day to make a point or drive home a lesson through the events which are happening among us.

This morning I was reading from Matthew 7:22-29. This is a section of the Gospel popular with Habitat volunteers. It is the part which speaks of a house built on the rocks, rather than on sand. This talk of foundations, brought me back to yesterday's work at the Habitat house, and a teaching moment which arose there.

With several experienced volunteer crew leaders, but no professional builder among us, we made the classic mistake of failing to measure every piece of wood twice. As a result, the foundation (actually the flooring system for those of you with a bit more experience) started to get off. It wasn't much. Half an inch here; quarter of an inch there. But in twenty-four feet, the decking no longer fell on to the floor joists. We started pulling nails and knocking out spacers which first-time nail drivers had worked so hard to put in place.

"You have to get this part right," I told them, "or everything else will be out of square."

Too often we do that. We concern ourselves with the part that will be readily seen by others. We think of our hair cut, or the design of our clothes. We pay attention to the football stats so we can converse with others over the chances of a victory on Saturday. When someone looks at a house, they look at the color of the siding or the layout of the rooms. But it is the careful attention to that flooring system which makes the house a stable home.

The foundation/flooring system of our lives are our devotions and our commitments. To what does our heart cling? To which set of principals are we devoted?

I know you are busy. We are all busy. I know there is so much you already have to read. But your reading of the Bible, your time in prayer, and your gathering with fellow believers to discuss what God is doing in your life are ways to ensure that the foundation upon which you plan to build your life is square and straight.

I will spend the first two hours of my morning making sure those floor joists line up. Somewhere along the way, I will engage in those teaching moments - encouraging the volunteers to reflect on the importance - in their own lives - of getting a solid start.

Pastor Chris