Renovate & recreate!

Romans 5:3-5 AMPC

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. [4] And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. [5] Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

Boy, oh boy, Lord, fancy asking us to rejoice when times are tough and almost too hard to bear!

"Grin and bear it" is hardly a good way to go, is it?

When we are "under the cosh" who feels like having a praise party?

A renovation and repair job on a house always entails a lot of ripping out the old before replacing with the new.

We've had a leaky roof ever since we moved into our home.

From time to time we've woken up with the sound of drip-drip during a long rainy night.

Temporary repairs haven't cured it, so, now we've bitten the bullet and undertaken extensive repairs where our builder friend thinks the problem is.

2 days stripping back of tiles has revealed rotted felt where water has ingressed, before the new fibreglass replacement could take place.

It didn't look very neat when the problem was revealed and it's not a 5 minute job.

Trials and inexplicable hardship are God's way of renovating our lives. They strip back our rotted selves, revealing where the enemy can gain access to our lives.

What's God's long term goal for us? To be confirmed to the likeness of Jesus in our characters.

Romans 8:29 AMPC

For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be moulded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.

God knows the only way to achieve His renovation in our lives is via trials and hardship.

If we could see with God's eyes how we will end up, then perhaps we would rejoice in the Hope of becoming like Jesus!

Prayer

Father God please, in your great loving care, strengthen us to bear with your repair work in our lives. Please give us a vision of your goal to make us more like Jesus. Give us that Hope to sustain us in our trials.

As the old song says:

When my way grows drear

Precious Lord, linger near

When my light is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call

Hold my hand lest I fall

Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me on

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I'm weak, I am worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me home