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

Home improvement is a popular hobby, with entire streaming networks based on shows like Fixer Upper or Dream Home Makeover.

If only a professional builder, decorator, and crew that works for free would head over to my house or apartment, you may have dreamed once. At some point, everything in life needs a “make-over,” including our own lives.

“Imagine yourself as a living house,” wrote C.S. Lewis.  “God comes in to rebuild that house.”[1]  That would be great, right?  Yes, at first, Lewis agreed.  We welcome God’s work in our lives when He’s fixing things that we know to be broken—messed up plumbing and a leaky roof.

“But presently,” Lewis wrote, “He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense.”[2] And this, is the critical point.  What is God doing?

“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 going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”[3]

When we say yes to following Jesus, we invite Him in, but not as a guest.  Your life becomes His home. Sometimes following Jesus looks like a very messy remodel.  But God finishes what He starts.  First Thessalonians 5:24 promises, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

 

Resource reading: Psalm 51:10-12

[1] Lewis, C. S. (1996). In Mere Christianity (pp. 175–176). New York: Touchstone.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.