What can a home inspection tell us about our own spiritual condition?

Well, we'll find out together on today's episode.

Welcome to the show.

I'm Daniel Dalp, and this is for your Sunday Morning Drive, the short podcast with the goal of providing some motivation, some drive and encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your mind on those spiritual things on a hectic Sunday morning.

If you've looked at the title of this episode, you know that we have a special guest this morning, my brother-in-law, Jodi Marble.

Jodi lives in Lebanon, TN and is a member of the Mount Juliet Church of Christ.

He has experience serving in ministry in both Nashville and Memphis, and he owns his own business, Marble Inspections.

He does great work, so if you're in the area and need a home inspection, check him out.

I'll make sure to put a link in the show notes.

They aren't a sponsor yet, so Jodi, I guess the ball's in your court on that one.

If there's some kind of referral bonus, have your people call my people.

We'll get it sorted out.

I'm so thankful that Jodi was willing to share some thoughts with us this morning.

And I know you'll we'll be blessed by them.

Let's go ahead and get the show on the road.

This is episode 83.

All the small things.

Let's go to church.

Are we there yet?

Sometimes the most devastating things are the ones we never even realized were happening until it's too late.

As a home inspector, I get to see a lot of different kinds of houses.

New houses, old houses, big houses, small houses, and everything in between.

It's always interesting to see how buyers react.

They walk through the home and they love it, or at least it's good enough.

They don't see all the problems, they just see all the things that they like.

They like the lighting, they like the colors, they like the kitchen, they like the location.

They like all these wonderful things about the home and things are wonderful, but then I show up.

I'm not there to admire the countertops or the wonderful paint colors or any of the great features of the home.

I'm there to find problems.

That's what I get paid to do.

That's my job.

And unfortunately for people who are selling their homes, but on the other hand, fortunately for the people who are buying homes, I'm pretty good at my job.

Now.

When I find something obvious, like a cracked window or door that sticks, nobody's really surprised.

Those are the easy problems to find.

But what really shocks people are the problems that can't seen.

The little leak in the crawl space that's been dripping for years, the shingle that blew off on the back corner of the roof that nobody ever looks at, or maybe the squirrel or raccoon that's made a home in the attic.

Those are the things that go unnoticed.

They start small because they're hidden.

Nobody has to deal with them.

Nobody sees them on a day-to-day basis.

But over time, those small hidden issues can grow and grow and grow.

What could have been fixed for $50 turns into a $500 problem.

And then that $500 problem left unfixed turns into a 5000 problem, and then a $20,000 problem, and sometimes more.

By the time anyone realizes what's happening, sometimes it's too late.

Now the buyer doesn't want to buy the home, and the seller can't sell it.

All because of one small thing that went unnoticed for too long.

When I think about our faith, I realize the same thing can happen to us as Christians.

From the outside, everything be looking great.

We go to church, we smile, we say the right things, we do the right things, and by all accounts, we look spiritually solid.

But sometimes deep inside where nobody can see and maybe we're not even willing to look ourselves, there's a small leak or slow drip or screw that's just not quite tight enough.

Sometimes things are just a little off.

Maybe it's a habit.

Maybe it's an attitude, Maybe it's something we've been ignoring because it doesn't really seem like that big of a deal.

But overtime, that small thing can be really bad.

In Song of Solomon chapter 2, verse 15, it says catch for us, the little foxes that ruin the vineyard.

It's the small things that sneak in and start tearing away at something that was once healthy and strong.

You see, God is a God of detail.

He's not careless or casual with his instructions.

He doesn't just say do your best, but He gives specific guidelines, specific steps, specific ways to live.

And yes, He does want us to do our best, but He also wants our faithfulness in the small things because the small details matter.

So as you go into a new week, don't ignore the small things, spiritually speaking.

Check your attic, check your crawl space.

Look underneath the surface.

Look where nobody else is willing to look.

Maybe for you, it's paying attention this morning to the opening prayer instead of letting your mind drift away.

Maybe it's listening to that closing song instead of getting packed up early.

Maybe it's saying hello to the person sitting alone in the corner of the worship center on the far end.

When you always assume someone else would talk to, it might feel small.

But small things can lead to big things, and not just in a bad way.

A small act of kindness can open a big door.

A small step of obedience can lead to a huge change in your heart.

Don't let the little things go unnoticed.

Don't wait until a small slow drip becomes a flood.

You see, God cares about the little things, God cares about the details, and he cares about the condition of our hearts.

In Matthew chapter 5 verse 18, Jesus says, for truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished.

Even the smallest stroke matters to God.

Every detail is intentional and every word is important.

So this week, take a moment to inspect your faith.

The screws that are a little loose seal the leaks that have been ignored, and let God strengthen the foundation beneath you.

Because when He does, every other part of our life get stronger too.

Jodi shared some fantastic thoughts with us this morning.

Now it's time to hear yours.

Our discussion questions for this week are what are some of the little things that you need to focus on before they become big spiritual problems?

Are we self aware enough to catch these small things or do we need the outside perspective of a friend?

And what are some of those good things that we need to focus on growing into big strengths?