Sharon and I have taken on the challenge of renovating and
‘flipping’ a home. We are only three
days and it has been a deconstruction marathon.
All the panelling, ceiling tiles, rubber under pad are gone from the
basement. To my surprise I also found
three subfloors in the kitchen. We are
almost ready for drywall and paint!
It reminds me of our spiritual renovation that is always
ongoing as well. Sometimes we try to do
our best to cover up our lives, put a new finish on and it only lasts for so long. The only way to a real heart renovation is to
strip away and get to the root longings in our lives.
Titus 3:3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We
were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full
of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he
saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his
mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the
Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out
the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he
declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
1.
An Honest Appraisal
Before you can get approval for a mortgage on a house, a
thorough inspection needs to take place and the value of the home is
assessed. The assessment on the house we
purchased was done and all its ugly warts were exposed. We knew what we were getting into, both eyes
wide open and made the commitment to the overhaul!
The reality with us is that we were all foolish, we have all
made stupid decisions, we all have been misled or misled others and the Bible
spoke of haters long before ‘haters gonna hate’ became a catch phrase. The bottom line is that our lives were ugly
and we were in need of a major renovation!
The great news is that God made the commitment. He said I’m committed to you! ‘while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us!’ Romans 5:8
2.
Love Beyond Reason
Love Beyond Reason
Here’s the revelation, ‘it has nothing to do with your
ability to win God’s love!’ There is
nothing that you could ever do to make yourself acceptable or presentable to
God for that matter. Our righteous acts
are like filthy rags as Isaiah 64:6 states.
We have left an achieving system and moved to a receiving one. He has made the investment, purchased with a
great price. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20. We are living houses of God…actually temples
in which His Spirit dwells! He wants His
house to shine and bring glory to Himself.
It is a new birth, new life through the outpouring of His
Holy Spirit. The word here for new birth
actually means a ‘spiritual renovation’
that stresses ‘the inception of a
new state of things in contrast with the old.’ Forerunner Commentary
3.
The Big Reveal!
I am so excited about the opportunity to see this house
completely turned around and looking like a million bucks…well ok, not
quite. I fully anticipate seeing this
place transformed with amazing curb appeal and an irresistible draw once you
walk in. We have a long way to go still
and a lot of hours of labour and elbow grease, but I know it is so worth it.
We are worth it. God
already declared us righteous, purchased our transformation and won’t let us
stay where we are. He wants absolute
transformation as well and He will continue to shape our lives and change us to
look more like His Son! Philippians 3:10
