Pastor’s Table Blog

The Best Paint We Own

Let me offer an illustration. I know the NJ housing market is crazy, and for many people, buying a home is a stretch—it is a big financial sacrifice. Imagine you find a home you like. During the inspection, you discover the seller didn’t disclose a crack in the foundation—instead, they tried to paint over it. The inspector finds it, and your real estate agent says, “It’s just the foundation settling … it will be fine.” But when the Nor’Easter comes, and there is a deluge of rain … you realize it’s not fine. When there is a crack in the foundation, it doesn’t take much to break it apart.

That is the scene in Ezekiel 13:1-16. Israel’s prophets spoke “from their own hearts,” yet said, “Declares the Lord.” They told God’s people, “Peace,” when there was no peace, and when the people built a wall, these prophets smeared it with whitewash. God’s response? “I am against you.” He would bring the wall “down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare” (13:14).

Our personal agenda

I make this claim because I know my own heart. This passage scares me. I talk to a lot of people, and I’ve observed a prominent theme: most of us have personal agendas for our lives. There is the “Happiness Agenda”—a bigger house, a better school, an easier schedule, frequent vacations, success in romance. And there is the “Performance Agenda.” Those diplomas on the wall, the position I hold, the house I live in, and the appearance of my family on social media determine my worth … I must achieve them at all costs.

Neither is necessarily bad in itself. But in a community like ours, where success is so visible, the pressure to look fine is real. Some of us paint over the cracks to make it appear as if our lives are better, or more spiritual, than they are. I personally feel the tug of both agendas. As a middle aged father of three, I desire the best education for my children and I wanted to be successful in ministry. However, all of that must be examined God's calling on my life as revealed in His Word.

“God told me”

Here is the convicting part: as we pursue our agendas, if we are honest, most of us don’t say, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Instead, we say, “Lord, here’s my plan … bless it!” We create a beautiful blueprint for our lives, feel good about our efforts, but we only consult God for the rubber stamp on the work we did.

And if anyone questions our plans, we are tempted to throw down the trump card … “God told me.” “The Lord opened this door.” “I just have peace about it.”

Think of the teenager who signs her father’s name on a permission slip. A signature carries weight, and hers doesn’t. His does. She gets the trip, the cover, and a clean conscience: Dad approved it. And what she avoids is the conversation where he might say no. That is what we do when we sign God’s name to our agenda. We get the weight of his name without risking his answer. That is spiritual identity theft: claiming to speak for God when he has not authorized us to do so.

Three checks

So, what are my motives? It’s a dangerous question, because we may not like what we find if we dig deep enough. Here are three ways to ask it.

1. The source check. Have you checked your source by asking, “Where did my plan come from?” Was it from my heart … or God’s word? We often make decisions without praying, consulting Scripture, or seeking wise counsel. We just make decisions … and slap God’s name on it. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2).
2. The counsel check. If you want to close the Johari window of self-awareness, ask people who know you best. Ask someone who disagrees with you often: “Do you sense a personal agenda from me?” Who has permission to tell you, “I don’t think this wall will hold”?
3. The expectation check. Have we stopped to ask, “Am I asking God to bless my agenda, or examine it?” David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

These are the humble actions we must take if we want to hear from God. Because the test is not whether I used God’s name; the test is whether I heard God’s Word for me.

Rebuilt on the rock

Church, I think we can all admit that we all build walls of protection, and some of them are weaker than we would like them to be. To bring our hearts and lives back in order … God tears those walls down to the foundation so we see our desperate need of him. But demolition is not the last word. When Jesus Christ went to the cross, the deluge of God’s wrath fell on him. Why? Because he loved his people. And he tells us to build on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27): not on your agenda or the world’s agenda … but on God’s agenda centered on the cross of Jesus Christ. You, Christian, are hidden in the cross of Christ, and the most important thing about your identity is this: you’re a child of God.

This week

What does God do when his name is signed on our agenda? He exposes it, levels it to the foundation, and rebuilds on Jesus Christ. So I’ll leave you with three questions to ponder this week: What am I building? Whose agenda is it? Who gets the glory?

A final word of warning, because the problem with a message like this is that we think it is for someone else. Don’t think of who to send it to. Point the finger at yourself first. What’s underneath the paint of your life?

Suggested Reading Plan