In the past few years, my kids and I started a Christmas tradition of making gingerbread houses with some friends. Last year, as we prepared to go meet with the others, I gathered our supplies and noted with concern that the baked product didn’t seem quite hard enough. Later, my dread grew as the first house collapsed before the pieces were connected. Fortunately, we had enough extra pieces to make another one. Decorated and shored up with extra frosting, the finished product made it to the front seat of our car . . . only to collapse into pieces a few minutes later.
God’s attributes include mercy and grace, but He is also holy and righteous. His Word reveals who He is and what He desires from us. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (NASB). If we believe that His Word is the truth, then we should live it out in obedience. Romans 12:1-2 reminds us that to be in relationship with Him is to live as if our will does not matter. It also tells us to expect transformation to be inherent in our Christian experience. Anything less isn’t the true gospel.
The destruction of a house built on sand isn’t immediate. It’s only when the storms come that the devastation is made evident, and not even an extreme makeover can make what has been unholy appear good (Ezekiel 13:10-14).
Even a broken gingerbread house serves as a reminder that we can’t live by what seems to be right. We must live what is true.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 25:31-46
More:
Read Ephesians 4:21-32 to see some practical ways our lives should reflect the change brought through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Next:
In what ways has our culture tried to water down the gospel to make it palatable for certain people to receive? How is embracing only part of God’s truth holding fast to a lie?
tom felten on September 10, 2012 at 8:46 am
Great insights, Regina. So many couple I know are struggling with marital problems. A common theme in the struggles is that one or both have taken their eyes of Jesus. They have started to build their house on sand. Marriage in a fallen world is tough enough without turning away from the true SOURCE of life, truth, and purpose. May we all follow God in obedience today! John 14:21.
regina franklin on September 30, 2012 at 8:28 pm
Dear Tom,
Perhaps some of the greatest threats to a marriage are not the monumental issues (infidelity, financial difficulty), but the smaller (more deadly) compromises that erode at the very foundation of our dependance on God.
mike wittmer on September 10, 2012 at 9:25 am
Thank you for this, Regina. I was talking to a friend last night who mentioned that we don’t think enough of the holiness of God, the kind that might actually have wrath against sin. And so we are left with a sentimental deity who rubber stamps our own desires. You’re thoughts are a strong reminder that we need both God’s love and truth, and that these are not opposites but two sides of the same coin.
regina franklin on September 30, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Dear Mike,
Well said. I am afraid we too often create a God of our own making, one who allows us to have both the things of heaven and the things of this world. However, this view is not scriptural and God is not our co-pilot. He is our Sovereign Lord, one who is holier than anything we could imagine. Yes, His love and His holiness are not antithetical but rather they are interwoven and cannot be separated.
alli on September 10, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Yeah and God isnt obligated to keep the gingerbread house up if its not built according to His instructions many times i think God will bless my efforts or intentions but even if i fill out an application for a job and spend hours on it if its the wrong job God isnt obligated Hes only obligated to His word not your efforts
tom felten on September 10, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Good thoughts, Alli. We often have expectations for what could or should do in our lives, but we must first consider if our pursuits are pure and if they line up with His Word. Also, as you’ve said, God is not obligated to bless our activities. He’s sovereign and knows what will be best for us and others.