Our Grand Midwest Tour: Renovation

Returning from the market to pick up a few things for Grandma Ruth (Gene’s Mom), we were greeted by Debbie (Gene’s sister) and her sweet dog Mongo. I think of Debbie as a “renovator.” As long as I’ve known her, she’s put her heart into helping renew and restore animals, houses, and people, whenever and wherever she can. She rescued Mongo from an utterly neglected home; for years she worked as a hospital nurse helping many with the healing of their bodies; she’s currently restoring a property, and renovating a home that had been destroyed by drug trafficking tenants.

I think most of us love those stories of renewal: makeovers, weight loss, old cars restored, dilapidated buildings renovated. Now this may surprise some of you, but God has called all of us who are born again of His spirit to be renovators! And He’s given us a specific renovation project that is vital not only to our lives on this earth but also for eternity. This project is called the “renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing [anakainoō] of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God gives us complete instructions for our project in His Word. One section of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians compares each of our lives to a building.

I Corinthians 3:9-11:
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The foundation of the building (my life now and eternally) has already been laid, and it is Jesus Christ. I can’t mess up that perfect foundation that was given to me by God’s grace when I believed and got born again. Nothing I did earned that!

Titus 3:5:
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration [palingenesia, meaning to be born again, rebirth], and renewing [anakainosis] of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

Now I have opportunity to build upon that foundation by renewing my mind to God’s words and the work of the holy spirit, my new spiritual nature.

I Corinthians 2:11-16 [English Standard Version]:
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who [the spirit which] is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural person [not yet born again] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one [by no natural man who cannot understand spiritual matters].
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Having received the gift of holy spirit in the new birth, we now have a choice to make in our minds. Will I maintain my old ways of thinking according to the world’s human wisdom, or will I choose to think the pure, spiritual thoughts that God teaches? The thoughts I choose to dwell on, and the words and works I produce by them, determine the type of materials I use to construct my building. Back to where we left off in I Corinthians.

I Corinthians 3:12-15:
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

In many ways, my time on this earth is short. But every moment counts—every moment I am determining the quality of my work that will ultimately be tried and revealed by fire. As I have labored together with God, some of my work (the gold, silver, and precious stones) will remain after the fire tests it, and I will receive a reward. Any of the work that I built without God’s help (the wood, hay, and stubble) will be burned and I will suffer the loss.  But in any case, I myself will be saved, because my eternal foundation has been laid in Jesus Christ, my Savior forever!

I’m looking forward to seeing the “after” photo of my sister-in-law Debbie standing with her happy, little dog Mongo in front of her newly renovated house. There are blessings on this earth. But all earthly efforts will pale into insignificance at that gathering together when we stand before God to receive our rewards for any and all that we’ve built as fellow-laborers with Him upon our foundation in Christ.

Romans 8:18:
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Happy building!

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