Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19 (NASB)
Whether you are raising a family or constructing a building, it takes a solid foundation to keep things standing. As Christians, we believe that firm foundations are rooted in the Word of God and on Jesus Christ.
Just a few months ago, a Christian couple in East Texas laid a foundation as franchise owners of a soon-to-be Chick-fil-A restaurant in Marshall, Texas. As the concrete trucks started pouring, a Bible was placed in the foundation so their building would literally be built on the Word of God. The franchise owners declared, “Our purpose here is simple—to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
This couple is strategically dedicating their business to God from the beginning. Likewise, this is something we’ve done when moving to a new residence.
Dedicating Our Home
Over the course of sixteen years of marriage, we’ve moved around a bit. We’ve rented a number of apartments, owned a townhome, spent almost 7 years full-time in an RV, and now have a brick-and-mortar home in order to care for a relative suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. With each move, we dedicated our new abode to the Lord on day one.
My husband, Reed, plants his great-grandmother’s Bible into the soil at our new home.
Typically our dedication ceremony will include a time of prayer and worship, consecrating our home unto God, who is the true Homeowner. We commit to use His resource as good managers and for kingdom purposes. We pray that God will place a hedge of protection around the property as long as we reside there. And we ask for opportunities to shine as lights of His love to our neighbors.
Most recently, we literally sowed the Word of God into the soil of our new property. Many years ago, my husband, Reed, had acquired the Bible of his great-grandmother at a family garage sale. We realized it would be such a neat addition to our home dedication ceremony, representing four generations of Hewitts who faithfully served the Lord in the town where we now live.
To us, this act also represents our heart’s desire to use this home to serve the Lord by sowing His Word to reap a harvest for the kingdom. We do this from our computers through the Living Strategically website, but also when we minister to people in person at our home. We intentionally welcome people from our community into our home so they can experience the peace and joy of a Christian home environment, which is quite a contrast from today’s secular culture. When our neighbors see Scripture verses hanging in frames throughout our home and the content of our character as we live it out in front of them, they can tell we are set apart from the world around them.
A Distinguishing Mark
From the Old Testament, we see many examples of how God separated His people and their homes as holy unto the Lord.
When the Hebrews’ time of sojourning in Egypt was coming to an end, God intervened with a “special ops” rescue plan that started with the first Passover. God’s people were to distinguish themselves from the Egyptians by sacrificing a goat or a lamb and marking their homes with the sacrificial blood.
“The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13
“For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel (top beam) and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.” Exodus 12:23
Later, when God’s people were preparing to enter the Promised Land, God instructed them to hold firmly to His Word and His commands. This would set them, their families, and their homes apart.
“You shall therefore impress these words of Mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates…” Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Visitors to our home are greeted with this Bible verse of dedication hanging at our front door.
As our culture continues to turn its back on God, it will be increasingly important for Christians to be truly committed to the Word of God and wholeheartedly serving the Lord. God examines our hearts and minds, and He knows if we’ve compromised our faith.
Reed and I believe that dedicating our home unto the Lord is similar to being baptized after receiving God’s gift of salvation. We’re making a public statement that from this point forward, “me and my house” are serving the Lord (Joshua 24:15). For us, there’s no turning back.
Finally, in the book of Ezekiel, we read where God instructed His angels to separate His people with a distinguishing mark. God was sending judgment to Jerusalem because the land was full of blood, perversion, and apostasy. The angels distinguished between the righteous and the wicked with a mark on the foreheads of the righteous. That mark saved them from God’s imminent judgment.
“The Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst…but do not touch any man on whom is the mark.’ ” Ezekiel 9:4, 6
In these days of evil all around, it’s a good thing to be on God’s side!
Making an Eternal Investment
A home can be just another building or it can be a place of spiritual investment. Those who lay foundations in the Word of God and on Jesus Christ will be able to weather any storm and have a lasting impact. Whether you live in an apartment, a condo, or a traditional house, gather your family for a dedication ceremony. Make the commitment today to start serving the Lord from your dwelling place.
“But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
In the end, you’ll reap the benefits of your eternal investments (but the things of this world will go up in smoke!) May your home and all who enter be blessed.
