“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
I like watching those house flipping shows that come on TV on Saturday mornings sometimes. Most of the time, the investor comes to a piece of property or home that is typically run down and maybe infested with insects or destroyed from years of having no caretaker. They decide if it is worth their time and money to rejuvenate it and then they dig in. Cleaning, tearing out old and rotten materials, and replacing everything unworthy of salvage with something new. Within a few weeks, the house is ready for a new owner or occupant and they proudly stand back and admire their handiwork. Then it is time to move on to another, cleaning up the world one unwanted home at a time.
I image this is how God sees humanity. He knows the human heart to be rotten and unworthy, but He can see the potential of the property. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). He comes in, cleans us up, replaces the old and worn out stuff with new and beautiful things. “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). Then He moves in to make a home for Himself there. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). The only catch is that we must understand that our property is in desperate need of repair. Then we must open the door to Him and allow Him to complete his work in us. “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8). Only after God comes in and transforms us and creates a new being can we be beautiful both inside and out. “But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4).
I am one of those flipped properties. God has made me new on the inside and is living every day continuing to keep this house up and running. I am so grateful for His many blessings on me and my family. Although it may be challenging to live in this world right now, I am comforted to know that God is preparing an even better place for me in my home with Him in Heaven.
