21 October 2009 Devotion for Today "That Lived-in Look" Proverbs 14:1-6

21 October 2009 Devotion for Today "That Lived-in Look" Proverbs 14:1-6


1 The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD,
but he whose ways are devious despises him.
3 A fool's talk brings a rod to his back,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.
5 A truthful witness does not deceive,
but a false witness pours out lies.
6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

(Proverbs 14:1-6)

I seldom read this passage without thinking about my parents. They not only loved us but they showed that love for my siblings and I by making our home welcome to our friends. My mother was and still is an excellent housekeeper, but a picture of our home would never have graced the cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine. It had that "lived-in look." First of all, she had two messy teenagers. Secondly, at the time we were teenagers, she also had an extremely active toddler to care for. Thirdly, there was hardly an afternoon or an evening that there were not two or three other teenagers "hanging out" at our home doing homework, enjoying dinner and snacks, and watching television. To some parents this might have seemed an intrusion- but never to my parents; my mother especially. She never made them worry about tracking dirt on her carpet, or leaving empty drink glasses on the coffee table or messing up the kitchen like my friends' parents did, nor did she make them feel like intruders. By making her home available, her heart full of love was available as well. She had as much influence over my friends as she did her own children. When other people's children feel comfortable in your home, you have accomplished something wonderful. You have not only reached your child but their friends as well.

Solomon says in verse 4 of this Proverb that "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty. But from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest." At face value this proverb may sound like a statement of the obvious. But upon closer reflection it much more revealing than that. We don't often see oxen or the barns they live in anymore. Oxen, or cattle live in barns and barnyards. The purpose of a barn is a place to house such animals and to feed them. The manger is symbolic of that. If cattle are living in the barn, it will be dirty. Few will think about how dirty the barn is if it is fulfilling its purpose. Yes, a barn will also stink if it is doing what it is designed to do- to nurture and raise cattle. It might be cleaned up once and a while, but it will not stay that way.

Where am I going with this? If a home is doing its job it may not be pristine- it will have that "lived-in look." But there will be joy and love found there. The same is true of churches. Many churches spend millions of dollars to make their churches appear to be museums than places of love. A church is doing its job not by the stained glass windows it boasts but by the sinners in it who are being transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. I have been in churches where the rules of going into this place or that have actually kept people away, not drawn them in. I have been in churches that were completely unprepared for their bus ministries because of the hordes of unkempt and unsupervised children that tramped through their polished facilities. When they did away with those ministries, they were probably relieved. Their buildings were cleaner, but they ceased to have the magnitude of witnessing power they once had.

Don’t get me wrong. We ought to try to make God's House as attractive as possible. But I think even He would be more comfortable with that "lived-in look." If sinners are comfortable and find there a respite to find Christ, we need to tolerate a little bit of dirt that goes along with the job that we do. We offset this by showing a little more love in proportion to the sinners we have in it. If your church attracts a lot of sinners or un-churched people, consider that as a badge of honor. You are doing your job as a church. By God's grace you have more influence and will transform them into the people God desires them to be.

May God give us the grace to allow our churches, our homes, and our lives to have that "lived-in look." God gives out awards not by how nice and impressive we can make ourselves appear, but by the love by which we reach others.

Prayer: "Dear God help my home and my church acquire that "lived-in look" by making me available to meet the needs of other people. May my table at my home always have extra feet beneath them. Give me grace to tolerate a little more dirt so that I may have a little more love to share." Amen.