God Won't Give Up On Us

You are here

God Won't Give Up On Us

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

It was a week from Passover and the walls were closing in on me. My quest to eradicate leaven had left me discouraged and anxious. The more I dug in and searched for crumbs, the more I found glaring flaws in my home and myself.

I sat on my couch horrified, looking from unfinished project to unfinished project. Each was a manifestation of my fickleness and lack of determination: The paint on the kitchen walls where I missed with the second coat, the dented baseboard, the tiles I desperately wanted to replace. Oh, and who could forget the manhole cover sized disaster in the ceiling where the sink upstairs had overflowed… Not to mention the planned projects we hadn’t even begun. I felt myself filling to overflowing with disgust and contempt for my house and my character.

I know now that God took pity on my troubled mind, because a scripture came to me unexpectedly. Philippians 1:6 tells us that we can be “confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (New International Version). Upon this revelation, my thought process changed immediately.

My mind went back to three years before, when we first toured the lonely, foreclosed house that would become our home. I remembered walking through the gate to the music of frogs singing sweetly from the woods. I fell in love immediately.

Walking through the house, I surveyed its scars and wondered about the stories behind them. The previous owners had apparently attempted to renovate, but the evidence of their abandoned or botched projects was everywhere. In the bank’s care, the house’s vital systems had all been allowed to fail, leading to more destruction. The buying process felt like resurrecting a dead body. When the furnace, the electricity, and the water were finally working, the still, stagnant house came to life with the hum of breath and flowing blood. We immediately began to clean, repair, and renovate the home with every bit of spare time and money we could muster. The vision of its potential burned bright in our minds.

Before we invite Christ to live in us, we are like vacant, neglected houses. Jesus is the loving homemaker who will not abandon us half-finished. He breathes new life into us and invigorates us with His Spirit. He washes us until we are white as snow. He knows the plans He has for us.

For many Christians, growth and improvement can become discouraging and overwhelming. As with my home’s renovations, our initial zeal can lose its momentum when we hit an obstacle or plateau. The spring holy days can be especially difficult as we confront our flaws and evaluate our growth. When we compare ourselves to Jesus Christ’s perfection, we see how far we have to go.

But part of the confidence of Philippians 1:6 is that we trust that Christ knows what we are, what we were, and what we could be. He will keep working on us, for as long as we will let him, until we reach completion. He is patient and kind, working with us gently to overcome our flaws and create the home in us that He knows we could be.

You might also be interested in...

Comments

  • alexander mcmanus
    very well said joshua what an inspiration to us all thank you
  • Karlo Santos
    Thanks for the article and the analogy! Just as the house was found and made into a home, we too are found when we are called and as with a house there is always room for improvement. Continual improvement was never meant to be stopped and must not be confused with how we are supposed to be contented with what we have. Jesus loved us from the start but knows we are capable of so much more than we can ever imagine, so it won't hurt to allow Him to work in and on us, in addition we help Him out when we seek out and align to His clear goals for us and then we actively participate in the process. After all He is our Helper and Friend, meaning He won't do it alone and it's more fun doing things together. Happy remodeling! :-) P.s. Joshua, thanks for sharing that personal info. Good job and keep it up.
  • Heather Disher
    I'm glad it struck a chord for you, Joshua! It can be difficult to live in chaos for a while, but it is so worth it to see improvements take shape! I hope you find the right home! (Look for structural soundness above all else!) Nwhitely, that is also a very encouraging scripture! Michael Phelps gave a very good sermonette on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread (in Cincinnati) this year, about that very analogy. I'd recommend it! :O)
  • Joshua Infantado
    Wow! You know, I am in the process of looking a new house for me to start my independent life. And because I am still starting, I have very limited budget. With limited budget means limited choices. It seems that all I can afford is a foreclosed house with so much to improve on. I really appreciate your blog especially it touched me personally. I can relate to your story.:)
  • nwhitely
    Thank you Heather! Projects are never done but be encouraged by what has been accomplished and the vision ahead! Hebrews 12:1-3
  • Join the conversation!

    Log in or register to post comments