A Message from Our Home Office
… by Jeff Broadnax
Have you ever had your home remodeled? You excitedly start with a vision of what will be, but once construction begins, you wonder if you should have ever started. The project disrupts your normal routine, makes the house messy, and usually takes far longer than anticipated.
Sound familiar? Well, only if you have gone through a home remodeling project … or … if you have experienced being “remodeled” by Jesus, the master carpenter.
C.S. Lewis, in his book, Mere Christianity, describes Jesus’ remodeling like this:
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
This quote is a good reminder of what the Father is doing in Jesus by the Spirit in our lives. His remodeling project may not be easy in the present, but our hope in the finished work moves us forward in joy.
The prophet Isaiah directed the people of Israel with similar words written with a cosmic scope.
“Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish.” (Isaiah 65:17-19 MSG)
If you want to improve your house a little, a local handyman will probably do. But if you want to be a home where every square inch is overflowing in delight and joy…well, you will need a craftsman for that. His name is Jesus and he always finishes what he starts. The project he starts will be a lot bigger than you can imagine. But it will be well worth it.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life