“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6
Right now, there are no doors in the upstairs of my home. As a matter of fact, there is also no furniture, functioning bathroom, pantry, bedroom, or living room. We are walking on “ram board” floors, and wiping drywall dust off our clothes every few minutes. None of this is surprising since we’re blessed to be smack dab in the middle of some home renovations.
For the past two years, my family and I have been scheming about how we can make improvements to our living spaces. We work from home, school from home, and “live life” from home; it was time to settle in for the next chapter of our lives.
It has definitely been exciting. We love our contractor and his team (he happens to go to our church); we feel encouraged by the progress.
But, it is also unsettling. Five of us are “living” in a basement. My wife and I have crammed our clothes into suitcases, our walls are leaking, and our furnace high limit switch keeps tripping. We also need immediate furnace maintenance service like this expert that provides furnace maintenance in South Florida. We also noticed that the ac unit smells so we called in a local ac repair technician. If you need air conditioning maintenance and repair, make sure to contact professional contractors. For ac replacement services, make sure to schedule an appointment with professional HVAC technicians. And if you need professional duct cleaning services, make sure to hire professional services like Air Duct Cleaning San Clemente.
Don’t get me wrong; it could be much, much worse. These inconveniences are nothing compared to the struggles many of you have. I know people who deal with so much more than this.
All that to say, as a Christian, does your life ever feel like total chaos? When you scan the “house of your faith,” do you ever see a messy, “half put together” kind of life?
Take Heart
If so, take heart, Christian. Just like my family decided to renovate our home, our Lord Jesus is renovating your heart and faith!
Look again at what the Word teaches us. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)
We often think that when the Lord starts to work in our lives, it will be easy or stress-free. How could this be? For Him to begin (and do) the work, He must break down walls, move out furniture, and strip off the paint. This process is not a “walk in the park.”
Considering this, stay encouraged! Just as my sweet family knows that one day the dust will be gone (and replaced with something even better) that’s how it will be in our lives.
Let the “contractor” of your faith work in your life. He knows what He is doing — where to break and where to build.
He’s Not Done Yet
He is not done yet. The Lord is building something extraordinary in your life. It’s encouraging and joy-filled.
With this in mind, reflect on this familiar truth in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Men and women, don’t walk out on God’s renovation halfway through the process. Don’t stop allowing Him to tear down the old to build up the new.
Yes, it can certainly be frustrating and challenging. It can make you wonder if it was the right choice after all. When those doubts and questions arise, remember, God is NOT DONE! He has GOOD PLANS in store for you and your life.
Because He is a perfect Creator, Designer, Architect, and Shepherd, I can’t wait to see His finished work of your faith!
Covered in the dust with you,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor