No Vacancy, Or Is There?

We set up outdoor birdhouses to accommodate birds for nesting and ornamental ones for decorative purposes. Birds know the difference between the two types, and each species has preferences for the house they choose. They raise their families, and the homes are unoccupied when the season ends. Wasps are attracted to unoccupied spaces. A bird flitting about one of the houses but not entering is our cue to check if an intruder has taken residence. We try our best to keep the birdhouses pest free for the birds and the safety of unsuspecting passersby of the insects' uninvited and unwanted presence.  

“Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:27

Paul writes that we were once dead in our sins, but God made us alive with Christ; He saved us by His grace. But we grieve God’s Spirit and give place to the devil when our lives are empty of God’s good works—we leave room for our old sinful ways to reclaim entrance. He lists some of those in 4:25–5:7: lying, anger, stealing, foul and abusive language, quarreling, bitterness, grudge-holding, and all types of evil behavior. God’s Holy Spirit will not leave us, but our actions hinder what He wants to do through us.  Others may stay clear of us, sensing something isn’t right inside our “house.” Sometimes our unholy living inflicts wounds, stinging innocent, unsuspecting people around us.

God is love, and righteousness comes from Him, but living rightly with Him and walking worthy of our calling is a choice we make. If our daily living doesn’t imitate Jesus, we may need to inspect our “house” for intruders, or did we put out a welcome sign for the old life to reenter?