“…in Him (Christ Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22

“For Rent.” Sounds simple enough, right? But having been blessed with more than 1 property for more than half my life, my experiences have NOT been simple. Having a seasonal rental when Hurricane Ian hit, I thought I could help by offering it for a month to ‘Disaster Workers Exclusively,’ even lowering the rate. Little did I realize the problems and time that decision would cost me!

Almost immediately I began getting desperate requests from displaced families claiming they had lost their house and “would I show compassion and break my rule of ‘workers only.’” Wanting to help the most people, and having had bad experience in reacting to sad stories, I stuck to my original intent. Then my phone started blowing up with ‘workers’ who claims… proved NOT to be true!

Last night Katie and I sat in a restaurant and she overheard a woman bragging about how she had so easily deceived her landlord. When he had allowed her a pet, she snuck in 5, after she got the keys. When they made a mess, she covered it up! After all, it wasn’t fair that HE had property and she didn’t. So her actions became justified in her own mind as she laughed about her own deceptions.

Ephesians 2 is a VERY powerful Chapter. It describes the lengths God went to make ‘us’ humans a worthy habitation for Himself, His Son and the Holy Spirit. The cost and labor were out of this world! But having finished, He not only offered you and I (us) the keys, He went on to make ME a co-owner WITH Him. Which makes ME responsible for what I allow to enter His, and my, mutual abode!

Being in the rental business had never entered my mind growing up. It just sort of happened. When God’s blessings turned into, “What do we do NOW?” renters, along with a HUGE learning curve of blessings and curses, started coming our way! Along with them came cold hard lessons blurring heart feelings with hard legal reality. Holding keys required discernment and responsibility. GREAT!

I admit it… I didn’t WANT to be responsible. I wanted to turn over the keys, sit back and rake in the blessings of ownership. But what I got was headaches and life lessons. I learned that evil exists and it wants my stuff. It will insist on it’s own way and justify itself to get it! Being a Key holder, I am called to be a responsible partner with God, following His lead in the business of sharing His domain!

Are YOU being responsible to the Landlord and being a good tenant?