My wife and I have once again embarked on the stressful journey towards buying a home. We have enjoyed our renting days but the time has come to step out into a new chapter called ownership. Suddenly, I realized there was a spiritual lesson going on under the surface. All too often we treat our relationship with God and the church like renters instead of owners.

Renting VS Owning


Renters pay a fee in exchange for a temporary place to live while owners invest for the future. Who grows up dreaming of someday renting for the rest of their life? Absurd. The dream is to own your own home, right? But sadly I see this “renting” mentality in the way so many young people treat church. They stay for a little while until they find something better or cooler down the street. Why would you pull away from your faith during college? Perhaps, it’s because you don’t understand the long-term investment of a relationship with Jesus yet.

When something is broken Renters see it as someone else’s responsibility while Owners know it’s their responsibility to make it right. Whether it’s at church or in their own spiritual life a Jesus Renter will expect others to do the work for them. When the church has needs they wait for others to sign up, serve, and sacrifice. But someone who owns their faith doesn’t hesitate to give and sacrifice for their family and their Savior. Instead of complaining and waiting on others, an owner takes pride in fixing up “the house”. An owner gives all they are to seeing a broken world meet Jesus.

Renters spend little effort caring about the value of their home while Owners take the value of their home seriously. I meet teens all the time who say they follow Jesus or go to church but place little value on their relationship with Jesus. It’s more of an add on to their life instead of it being their life. Jesus renters don’t value what they have because they are always looking around at what everyone else has. Owners value what they have because Jesus is what makes it valuable. They have a personal connection to their faith and it sustains them no matter what happens. Their relationship with God is their most prized possession and they work on keeping that relationship healthy.

Renters don’t consider where they live to be their home, while an Owner always tells others that it’s their home. Would you call Jesus your home? Really? Like no matter where you are or who you are with would you say out loud that Jesus is your home and nothing else?

Jesus Is My Howith jesus you are always home.1me

“Better is one day in your house, than thousands elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10)

Better is one day with Jesus as your home than a thousand spent “renting” all the other pursuits of this world. Better is one day with Jesus than a thousand doing things my way. Better is one day with Jesus than a thousand without Him. I hope that like me, you are seeing your faith, less like a temporary rental agreement that you’ll get out of someday when you grow up and it’s less convenient, and more like a home you are willing to work and sacrifice for; a home you’ll keep forever in the God who loves you.

It’s not difficult to find your home in Jesus. You don’t even have to purchase it. You can’t earn it. It’s a home 100% bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. He essentially buys the home for you and just invites you to move in. He pays the bills with grace and cleans up the mess with forgiveness.

You get a new family called the church for you to serve, love, and stick with just as He has done for you. Own it! Live for God’s family, the Church, with all that you are. No halfsies. Put away the “renters” mentality and start owning this thing. Then, watch what God will do. It won’t be easy but it will be the greatest adventure you’ll ever have!


P.S. Pray we find a good house to buy! haha 🙂