By Josanne Anthony, SAVED News Correspondant
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Have you ever looked at a standing structure that is tattered, worn down, and has obviously seen its better days in years gone by? Maybe you can imagine what it would look like with a fresh coat of paint, new carpet, and updated kitchen cabinets. With a little imagination and a lot of hard work, you are certain the old place could become beautiful.
Restoration projects work like that. As my own church is in the process of purchasing a building that formerly held a couple of businesses, we love what we see, even with the flaws. It needs a good amount of work, but our church family is ready to get started.
With a lot of hard work and sacrifice, we’re going to make the building a reflection of who we are, cosmetically and structurally. We know what will beautify the areas that people can see, but we also know that we need to start with the unsightly and hidden areas that can damage or destroy the visible areas, if not taken care of first.
Isn’t this similar to human beings and the God who wants to save us?
I was undesirable and dirty when the Master Builder laid eyes on me. Upon closer inspection of my tattered self, hidden flaws were also exposed. I needed a lot of work. Amazingly, Jesus still wanted me. He already knew my redemption would be costly, and He paid that sacrificial price long ago. The Spirit at work in my life began repairing foundational damage, restoring my broken parts, and making my rough patches beautiful.
Being born again removes the sinful things we harbored within us, such as bitterness, envy, backbiting, and other forms of dirtiness.
A clean slate makes room for repairing the areas damaged by our old ways, while the Savior has the tools and supplies to restore what sin stole from us. As our inward repairs reach for completion, the beauty of our Maker becomes evident in our lives and everyone around us sees.
The oohs and ahhs of a restored building come easily as passersby remember the old. How much more worthy is the celebration and awe of a life redeemed by Christ!
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