I
have always
enjoyed decorating my house. When we
first got married, money was tight.
Since I couldn't afford to spend much on
decorating the house, I would go to garage
sales, looking for little items that would
make our house have a "homey" look to it -
warm and inviting.
Before we came to Christ, our
interior may have been decorated with such
things as these: sexual immorality,
impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,
envy, drunkenness, and more (Galatians 5:19-20).
While we became a new
creation the very instant that we got saved
(II Corinthians 5:17), holiness is a process. II Corinthians 5:21 tell us that God made Jesus to be
sin for us so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Christ. II Corinthians
3:18 tells us that we are being transformed
into His likeness from glory to glory. In
II Corinthians 4:16 we see that outwardly we are
perishing and wasting away, but inwardly, we
are being renewed day by day. This
"decorating" is clearly a life-long
process.
In the process of redecorating, God desires
that we have these ornaments gracing our
lives:
Galatians 5:22-23
- Love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, gentleness,
faithfulness, and self-control.
2 Peter 1:5-7
- Faith, goodness, knowledge,
self-control, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly kindness, and love.
1 Corinthians 13 - God desires to transform our way
of loving. He wants our love to be patient
and kind, not envious or boastful, not proud
or rude, not self-seeking, not easily
angered or provoked, not keeping record of
wrongs, nor delighting in evil, but
rejoicing in truth. Our love is to protect,
trust, hope, and persevere.
Colossians 3:12
in the Amplified Bible describes
patience as being tireless and
long-suffering, having the power to endure
WHATEVER comes, and with GOOD TEMPER.
1 Peter 5:5 - Humility toward others and a
submissive heart.
Romans 13:14
tells us that we should clothe
ourselves with the Lord Jesus.
I have often heard it said that the "pastor
isn't feeding us." Feeding us, so that we
can grow, is not the primary job of the
pastor. Most of that responsibility falls
on us. Let's take a look at several
scriptures that make this clear to us.
Psalm 119:11
- I have hidden Your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
2 Timothy 2:21 -
If a man cleanses himself, he
will be an instrument for noble purposes,
useful to the Master.
Jude
1:21
- Keep yourselves in God's love.
Colossians 2:6-7 - Just as you received Christ,
continue to live in Him, rooted and built up
in Him, strengthened in your faith.
Colossians 1:22-23 - Now He has reconciled you by
Christ's body, through death, to present you
holy and blameless -- if you continue in
your faith, established and firm, not being
moved from the hope of the gospel.
1 Timothy 4:7
- Train yourselves to be godly.
Philippians 2:12 - Continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling.
2 Corinthians 7:1
- Let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates our bodies and
our spirits.
The scriptures make it plain to us that we
have much to do in this "interior
decorating." Unfortunately, we can't go to
garage sales and find a "quick fix" to help
us on this kind of decorating. We also
won't find it in the quick "drive-up"
fashion where we get so many things these
days. BUT, as we strive to add the touches
of redecorating to grace our lives, we have
the wonderful promise of Philippians 1:6 which
tells us that He who began a good work in us
will also carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus. Remember, ladies,
we aren't alone on this journey!
