Let the Master Architect do His Magnfiicent Work!

We’re still working on some home remodeling and repair projects. It’s been going slow. We have wall to wall carpet, so when Danny took the wall down between the den/kitchen and the living room we now have a gap in the carpet. That gap will remain until we have time to put the new flooring down. We also have to figure out which flooring we want before we can put it down!  

Remodeling takes a lot of time and effort. Sometimes you find other things, hidden problems, along the way.  I have also discovered that, as one project is finished I can see another project I’d like us to do. 

Because we have a vision for what we’d like the house to look like inside and because we know what we want the downstairs to be for us, we can see through the construction issues. We can see the finished product because we have a plan. Someone else might come in and think “what a mess” but we know the end from the now.

God speaks to my heart: We who have been born again are under construction. Our lives at times can look like chaotic messes. We’re going from death to life, from under penalty destined for demolition to bought with a price and oh how we need “fixing up”.  As God begins the remodel process in our hearts, others might see the mess only. We too might keep looking at the mess we still are. Can God really fix us? Are we worth redeeming? What if more problems are found while He’s working on us? What if He reveals things that we have to let Him totally remove? Can we live without the walls that we have built?

And for those who watch the process, God has a wonderful plan! It does not yet appear what we will be, but He has a perfect plan for each construction process, for each redemptive action, for each renewal and regeneration. Often we feel condemned by the process because we falter in our walk, we forget God’s plan, we make our own changes and then we’re in a mess again.

Maybe you feel that your life is set for the wrecking crew. You don’t deserve to be remade. You may see no redeeming value in your situation, in your heart or in your mind. Maybe someone has tried to tear you down, demolish your life or tell you that you’re worthless and only good for the scrap pile. People will walk away, put the condemned sign on your life and leave you with gaping holes in your heart.

But God – But God!  He is the Master Architect of our lives. He has a plan and it is oh so very good! He is going to take you – take me – take us – and make us into something we could never imagine in our wildest dreams!  His plan will be fleshed out in our hearts and then after it is all done He will display us for the world to see as His!

As the song goes, “I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new!” It’s so true! We are born again, but the process of sanctification – being remade – takes a lifetime! And even when it looks like we’re stuck in a de-struction, we are actually being perfected. One day, when Christ appears, we will be absolutely perfect!

Oh beloved, rejoice! You are being built for the King’s domain! You are loved so unconditionally and God’s plan for you is lavish and better than anything you could plan for yourself.  Let Him do the work, don’t slow Him down, don’t beg for Him to quit, for it will be all good as you let Him live His life through you!

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

2 Timothy 1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:7-8 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Things Crumbling Around You?

When Danny decided to take the wall out between our living room and dining room, I was concerned about the support for those 16 feet of open wall.  He assured me that it was not load-bearing and that things would be fine. He beefed up the opening at the top with a couple of extra boards, so that it all matched. But the true support for the ceiling is due to the structure above you cannot see. 

There is no uneasiness in me when I walk underneath the opening. I don’t duck or dodge, thinking that any moment the ceiling will fall in. I can see no sagging or lowering of the ceiling or the support.  I don’t spend all my time worrying if this is going to work in the long run.  I don’t lay awake at night wondering if I’ll wake up in the morning and the support will have given way.  I just trust what my husband told me and live in the light of his knowledge about what I cannot see.

I know there are times, you may be going through it right now, where the support of a loved one or a friend or a pastor has given way. Maybe your own problems have caused you much sorrow and dismay. You may be hurting even now that it has all crumbled on top of you. Your heart is aching, your belief system is swaying and your faith is hanging in the breeze. You trusted and you believed in them, in yourself, but you were caught in the demolition anyway.  

Maybe you’ve been waiting for the answer found in God’s Word. You lie awake at night hoping, praying, seeking and yielding. Keep trusting Him for His Word is true and His care is complete.  He always answers and His answer is perfect for you no matter what your eyes may tell you and no matter what your heart may fear.

Oh beloved, God is your support! Even when no other person on earth supports you, you will remain standing if you trust in what you cannot see! He is the strength for your journey, the bearer of your load and the true support in every situation.  Demolition may be going on all around you, the foundations of the world may be crumbling, but you can trust God. He’s speaking to your heart this morning isn’t He? He whispers love words into your heart as He says go ahead and walk this walk of faith with Me. I AM the way, the truth and the life.  I AM able to hold you up like no one else. I AM your protection, I AM your guardian and fearless leader. What I say is true. What I AM is faithful. Wherever you go, whatever falls around you, I will be there to keep you strong so that you can endure all the way. I AM your trustworthy Savior and I love you.

Rejoice in His love today, beloved! For your foundation is solid and your way is safe as long as you trust in Him and walk in the light of His Word!  He is for you and that will let you rest in His promises and trust what you cannot see forever!

Psalm 46:1-2 &11 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Psalm 81:1 Sing praises to God, our strength! Sing to the God of Jacob!

2 Samuel 22:19  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. (NAS)

Psalm 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

In the Shadow of His Wings I Take Refuge

We are all watching what may be the worst hurricane of the season. Friends and family along the Gulf Coast have battened down the hatches. Memories of childhood storms come back to me. Often we would leave Houston altogether and go north until the storm subsided. Back in the 60’s my father was on a barge in the gulf when a hurricane hit.  My mother didn’t know the condition of those men out there until after the storm had passed.  We watched the news and just like people are doing today, we kept our eyes glued for any information.  It’s an odd thing about hurricanes. They are incredibly fierce and yet inside the eye, the center of that storm, there is complete calm.  While the storm whirls about wreaking destruction everywhere else, inside the eye no havoc, no chaos, no trouble.

Oh beloved, you may be in the storm of your life. It may have been raging for quite a while and you’ve tried to hang on, hunker down and keep going. It’s hard I know. I too have weathered storms in my life. And, because I made it through I can encourage you as well. You will make it through; you will come out the other side. But more than that, you can rest in the center of the Father’s will knowing that He will keep you from the havoc, the chaos the damage. Regardless of what you are going through, His Word is your Storm Shelter. His Word is Your Guarantee. His Word is His Bond. Trust Him this morning for in the center of His Will is love, peace, purpose and strength.  He loves you and He’s for you so He will see you through!

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.

Psalm 57:1 Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed.

Hebrews 6:18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.