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Here is something important I want to share with you. Two mornings ago I sit at my tiny kitchen table admiring some glass shelves I put up in my kitchen the night before, thinking to myself what a good job I am doing on fixing my house up. I was filled with a sense of pride when suddenly, I heard His voice saying, "Whose house is this?" Nothing else, just that question. I started to answer, "Why it's my house, of course" and then I realized, it's not my house and I changed my answer to God and said, "Why it's your house, of course, Lord".
​Each morning after, I sit at my kitchen table waiting silently for God to explain what this meant, but He did not speak again, so I began to ponder on His words, "Whose house is this?" I realized, suddenly that, had God not helped me I would not even have this house. I have spent much time, labor, and money trying to get this house livable, since it was in a state of condemnation when I arrived here. Every day, I pray for God to give me strength and a way to repair it, so I won't be falling through floors, freezing in the winter, frying in the summer, so that I could walk into a room and feel like this was home. I was reminded of the parable of the sower. I thought of how the Lord had planted a seed and I am that seed. I knew that the Lord had not planted His seed in rocky or thorny ground but in good soil, and I know that it is my job to make sure it grows and bears fruit. I looked at the picture on my wall with a bible verse on it, stating that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord and started trying to think of ways that I could make it more true. As for me and my house-we will serve the Lord.
  • And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
​Again, His word's came to me. "Whose house is this"? I know that every time someone asks me whose house is this, I always have responded with, "This house is mine" or when referring to my pets, my car, my job or other material things, I always call them "mine" as most people do. However, on this morning, I began to see things differently. This is not my house-it's the Lord's and I acknowledged that by telling Him, "This is your house Lord, all that I have is yours, that you have given me".  The thought occurred to me that I too am a house that belongs to the Lord. Suddenly, it seemed as if a burden had been lifted. Where I had felt depressed and unappreciated was a new found desire to please the Lord. I thought to myself, even if nobody ever see's what I do to this house, cleaning or fixing, the Lord will see my work and He will appreciate the fact that I have taken good care of the things He has given me. I started looking around at what else of "mine" actually belonged to the Lord. Such as, my heart, my body, my soul. No, it's not mine. It's God's heart, God's body, God's soul, God's car, God's pets, and yes, God's house. 
Once I started looking at everything as His, something changed in me. Where before I would get overwhelmed and let things go, now I found new ways to get things finished, a new spirit welled up in me because I wanted to hear Him say, "Good and faithful servant" because he can see where I had done my best to take care of and improve on everything He gave me. If I am working then I should do the best job I can, if I am breathing, I should do the most with the breath I have by taking care of my lungs. I have God's body so therefore I must take the best care of this body as I can. The bottom line is that every single thing we have in this world starting from the air we breath, to the food we eat, to our home, and material things to the people we know, belongs to the Lord. Once we stop thinking of things and people as "ours" or "mine" and start thinking of everything and every one belonging to the Lord, we are more likely to take better care of the things we do have. A word God brought to me was, "If I give you a little bit and you do well with it...I'll give you alot" and when this came to me I was reminded of the verse which explains how we get what we need from the Lord. Give to others and God will give to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. You will receive from God in the same measure that you give unto others, so if you want to get what you need you have to give all that you can to others:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38 KJV
Again, I contemplated on this house and it dawned on me that although God expects me to do the best with whatever He has provided for me, it is not the material things that will get me into the kingdom of heaven. There is a building of God which I want to live in, not made with hands but this house is eternal in the heavens. In order to get there I have to do the will of God, be faithful, and love the Lord with all my heart, study His word, seek Him, and find Him.
​By Rev. Penny Dean
​Feb. 2019

Memory Verse

For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Cor. 5:1