A man in Haiti was moving and wanted to sell his house. A neighbor badly wanted to buy it but could not afford the full price. So the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price, but retained ownership of one square inch above the door, where a single nail hung.
Several years later, the original owner returned and asked to buy the house back. The new owner refused. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog in the street, and hung it from the single nail he still owned.
After only a few days, the stench made the house unlivable. The family was forced to sell.
The devil doesn’t need the whole heart at first. He only asks for one little nail – one little corner of your heart, one little sin.
Temptation rarely begins with open rebellion. It begins with one tolerated sin, one rationalization, one compromise, as we tell ourselves that God’s warning doesn’t really matter.
I mean, it’s no big deal, right?
It’s only once in a while.
It’s only a little too much to drink.
It’s only a little gossip.
It’s only one night.
What we forget is that every sin is dangerous. Every sin leaves a stench.
The devil loves to paint God as a party- pooper. “God doesn’t want you to have any fun. God is trying to keep something from you.”
That is how the devil trapped Adam and Eve, and that is how he still persuades us to leave him a nail in our hearts.
But when God says, “Do this” or “Don’t do that,” he isn’t trying to keep you from having fun. God knows that sin is never harmless. Every sin hurts us or others. Every sin is dangerous.
When we allow sin to go unchecked our lives, it puts a wedge between us and God. It spreads through our lives. Leave the devil one little nail, and soon the whole house begins to stink.
The sad truth is that we have all given the devil more than one little nail. We have allowed sin to stink up the whole house.
Thankfully, we have a patient and forgiving God who sent his Son to die for every one of those sins. He didn’t abandon houses that stink. He entered in mercy, washed them clean, and made them his own. In your baptism, God washed away the stench of your rotting sin forever.
You are forgiven. But now, knowing what Christ has done for you, don’t give the devil even one square inch. Don’t use forgiveness as an excuse to leave the devil even one nail above the door of your heart.
Give the devil one little nail, and before long your whole house will stink.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
