Unfinished
I recently made a purchase that many might have thought to be foolish: I bought a 1971 32′ Kingsway travel camper.
The roof wasn’t leaking, and there was no water damage to the walls or floor; it is solid. In fact, the carpet was brand new carpet tiles that had been laid to perfection.
You see, I love a challenge, and I love to take something old and make it new. And believe me when I say there has been many of hours of work that have been poured into this project and many more to go. What keeps me going?
I have a vision of that trailer sitting on a piece of property where you can’t hear a noise but nature itself, a place to hear God and have many days of family and fellowship for days to come.
So you might be thinking, how is the project coming?
The inside is complete. The old wood paneling has been washed, primed and painted. A nice wildlife border has been applied, curtains and everything else have been washed, a sleeper couch has been moved in for visitors to use, and I have many old-fashioned tin signs throughout for decoration. The cabinets have been stocked with mugs, glasses, plates and cookware. The roof has been coated with three layers of very expensive roof sealant. All the appliances have been cleaned up and are in working order.
So what is left? I am painting the outside and restoring it to its original color and state and cleaning tires and rims. Then the job will be complete for a little while.
Wednesday night, at our midweek Bible study, we were looking at the doctrine of the fall: God judges — all you have to do is read Genesis Chapter 3 to see God’s perfect world and creation all go terribly wayward. Why? Because of sin.
The Book of Ecclesiastes 7:29 makes our ever-present battle very clear. It reads, “This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.”
We are unfinished.
The definition of unfinished is “not brought to the desired final state.” We are all unfinished. We have a lot of clutter, washing, sanding, shaping and painting that needs to be done in our lives by the Master Craftsman.
This process is called sanctification. It’s a big word that we don’t understand or scares us. What does it mean? Sanctification: To make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate, to purify or free from sin. God’s intent is to clean us up, to reclaim and restore what is rightfully His.
We must remember that this act of sanctification is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. Just like my 43-year-old Kingsway camper, it’s going to take pain, time and cost. Let’s look at what God’s breathed Word has to say about this process.
First, let’s look at the pain. Hebrews 12:10 reads, “For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.” We will have pain through discipline, but it’s only because God loves us. In Proverbs 3:12, it reads, “Because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.” So discipline and pain is part of our journey.
Next, let’s look at the time factor. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, the Apostle Paul writes, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” If you are a Christ Follower, the veil of spiritual blindness has been removed so you can see, and we are promised that through time, we will be changed more and MORE into His image. It takes time.
And then there is the cost. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your price has been paid; this is called justification. You have been justified before the Father by the blood of our wonderful Jesus. So where does the cost come from us? The Gospel of Matthew 16:24 reads, “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ ” We must deny ourselves, laying down our desire and dreams for His. We must be obedient to His calling and not ours.
2 Timothy 2:21 reads, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” So we see the cost — everything!
So brother and sister, remember that it’s a process. It takes time. Position yourselves under the waterfall of grace, be obedient and proclaim “not my will but Thy will be done!”
Running with you, Pastor Dave