My House Speaks.......

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

If you look around my house, you'll find the above verse in several places. Above the door from the kitchen to the sunroom, on a coffeemug, on a picture hanging in my office and I also use it as part of my email signature. The verse has always been a powerful reminder from Joshua to the nation of Israel that he and his family were choosing that day to serve Jehovah God instead of the pagan gods of the land.

The other day I was at work, washing out the coffeepot to get ready for the next morning, when the thought hit me out of the blue - "How does my house serve the Lord?". Sure, I do the best I can to serve the Lord each day by my actions, but how does my house serve the Lord? I am a single guy, so there is no immediate wife or kids there to lead in the Lord's way and to the best of my knowledge my house doesn't have the ability to witness to others........or does it?

If you come in my home, you'll always find a Bible and several Christian books sitting on the coffee table or the end tables. You'll find various pictures of family and friends from church doing church things. There are various symbols of my faith and walk with Christ on walls, tables and on bookshelves. However, it struck me like a bolt of lightning that often a Bible or commentary is lying on top of the television where I might be watching a program or movie that isn't the most appropriate for a Christian. I might be writing an article or working on a Bible Study lesson while listening to a radio station or CD that isn't offering the most Christ-like values. On the same bookshelves where I keep various translations of the Scriptures and seminary course books, you could find some novels that are not the most edifying for a Christian to be reading. You won't find my refrigerator full of alcoholic beverages or any cigarettes and drugs in my cabinets, but you will find food and snacks that tempt me to not keep my body as the temple of God in the best of physical shape and abilities. At one time I even realized that playing video games was taking far too much of my time that should be spent doing productive work for God, so I got rid of my games and player to avoid the temptation.

Are you catching my point? It's now difficult for me to proudly proclaim today in 2006 that "as for me and my house, we serve the Lord." Obviously, I'll be doing some housecleaning over the next few weeks as I try to bring my whole being and whole house more into line with God. In the workplace, I will not allow inconsistencies to take place in areas under my responsibility. Why is my home any different? This is the place where I am, well, at home. Home. There's no place like home. A place of rest. A place of refuge. The place where I should be able to meet God the easiest of any other place.

My only desire in life is to serve God and to point others to Him. I have travelled a number of summers doing mission and evangelism work around the United States; yet here at home, in my own house, I have been confronted with the fact that I need to get my own act together before I can help others.

And so for today my friends, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy.


Oh...congratulations to my good friends, Gabe and Jessica Walker, on the birth of their new son today! Welcome to the world, Kennedy Gabriel Walker. You've got a lot of folks praying for you as you begin this exciting life.