Do you remember the excitement you once had in moving to a new house? There is the joyful anticipation of exploring new possibilities and making improvements. You know to repair the roof before decorating the inside. You change the locks to make it secure and clean the windows so you can enjoy a proper view of the world outside. We added an addition to our very first house that made it into a different house entirely. It’s quite a lot of work and it takes a long time if you do it yourself. But when you step back, you realize it’s worth it to create something better than you started with.
Remodeling a house is a metaphor for what God does when we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life. Our bodies are God’s “temple” and are designed to be pleasing to him. When we invite Jesus into our lives (our house), he starts fixing things. He secures the roof over our heads to protect us. He has us clean the windows so we can see the world clearly through his eyes. He has us replace the books and magazines we read and the movies we watch. He might even tinker with some of our possessions and hobbies that we prize too much. He might have us expand the living and dining areas to make room for us to invite others into our home. The more he lives in our home, the more changes there are. C.S. Lewis observes: “You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.”
God always has in mind something quite better than what we imagine for ourselves!
John 14:2-3 is a familiar passage to many of us:
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
It tells of our true home, our heavenly home that he is preparing for us, and also the time when he will return for us. But there is another place he is busy preparing for us. It is his present place within us, the core of our life and being. At our invitation, Jesus is remodeling our “house.” He has on fact, already “come back” in the person of his Spirit who has made his home in us.
When I built a long patio area with an extended roof, I consulted an engineer so I would know how to design the load bearing beam. I could have built it according to a cheaper and inferior design. But I knew this cross beam had to support the weight of the roof and whatever loads it must bear during the snowy winter months, so I followed the designer’s “blueprint.” We certainly can build our life house according to our own choosing and our own comforts. But Jesus sends his Spirit who knows the blueprint for how our life is best designed. He provides the “cross” beam that carries our heaviest loads. He takes the shabbiest of shacks and converts them into masterpiece palaces that offer some reflection of the grandeur of his nature.
There are times when the remodeling of our lives is inconvenient, even tiresome and painful. Sometimes we feel like giving up. Truthfully, the job will not be fully completed until we move into our permanent home in heaven. But the remodeling process is why we are here. It is our purpose to be built up according to his plan and used according to his purpose and for his goodness. Today is a good day to look around your “house” and ask the master designer what is next on the remodeling list. Submit to his plan and enjoy the benefits of his design for you.