Christian Living

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January 13, 2012 – Dirty Windows, Cracked Walls, and Doors That Just Won’t Shut

7 To you who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], the [very] stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone, 8 And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do. – 1 Peter 2:7-8 AMP

Years ago, I dabbled a bit in the construction industry. I received my contractor’s license and built single family homes for a few years. I didn’t make a living at it; it was just a sideline in addition to helping work the family farm and operating my parents’ small country store. In that time I even built my own family a new home. During the construction of our home and the years following, I really got an education on how each part of construction was a building block for the next phase.

I vividly remember the day the windows arrived for our home. Those windows were nice and clean, but also very carefully packaged for the long journey from the factory. The man who framed our home installed them with the utmost care to ensure no glass was broken. Imagine my surprise several weeks later when those new shiny windows had borne the brunt of several weeks of construction. They had everything on them from drywall plaster and paint to spit from some of the workers who had an earnest desire for chewing tobacco. But that did not discourage us. Marlo was even several months pregnant with our third child, but she tackled cleaning windows with unbridled enthusiasm. We wanted everything to look clean.

Christians are the same way. We package ourselves in clean containers, clear as glass, for the world to see. We wash our windows regularly, especially on Sunday morning, so our fellow believers see our polished outside. We really go through great lengths to keep up the appearance of our Christianity, especially in Christian circles. Just like the new house, as dirty as things sometimes can get, they can be cleaned up and made very presentable.

After we moved into our home, there were other troubles a couple of years later. We noticed a crack in the wall. There were even a couple of doors that seemingly overnight became impossible to shut. The door knob wouldn’t catch. What in the world was going on? Had our home started to lean like the Tower of Pisa? Was one end of our home sinking away into oblivion? No. We sought some advice and found that our home was settling. We were told it was normal. The soil under the foundation was becoming more compacted over time and causing the foundation to crack. To completely fix the foundation would have been very costly, but we were told the settling would stop. And it did. It stopped after a couple of years, so we patched our cracked walls, fixed the doors, and went on with life. Today Christians treat their faith the same way; they patch and repair their faith; they even seek godly influences to help mend their faith; but they neglect the wrecked foundation.

Many Christians today go through great lengths to show their great faith. From the outside, their lives are perfect. We can all see through their clean windows. But inside the house of their heart there are cracked walls and doors to sin that have never been shut. They have never been informed of the dangers of a cracked foundation, or they know of the importance of having a strong foundation but neglect it thinking that it is nothing to worry about. Those believers will even say they read the Bible. But I wonder; do they actually believe it?

Reading the bible is completely different from believing it. Today’s passage says that those who don’t believe God’s Word stumble. Those who don’t believe the Bible is true but claim to be Christians probably think that the Bible makes for good story telling. Moses parting the Red Sea, David killing Goliath, and Elijah going up into heaven in a whirlwind are remarkable stories. But for those who do believe, those events are larger than life. They give us goose bumps. We can even smell the salt air on our face as we walk through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground with the Israelites. Those pages are alive and speak to us daily.

Those who don’t believe God’s Word are still washing windows. Doors open to sin won’t shut in their life. The walls are cracked because there is no foundation present. They have built their faith to fit into their life and failed to make Jesus their Foundation. Their faith is built on dirt and their house is made of mud. When the first big rain or trial in life comes around, the house washes away. They had put their faith in themselves and their own abilities and rejected the main Cornerstone.

Only when Christians completely destroy their house and start with Jesus as the Foundation will lives be changed. Peter says in the verse preceding today’s passage that those who believe in Him will never be disappointed or put to shame. He is absolutely right. When Jesus is our Foundation, there is no shame. There is no disappointment. There is no defeat. We don’t go searching for someone to tell us a cracked foundation is nothing to worry about. When He is our Foundation, the windows may still need occasional cleaning, but the walls will never need repair. And as for those doors you thought you couldn’t close, they’ll be shut, never to be opened again.

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