Ephesians: Renovating This Old House

When Bekah and I signed the papers on our first house, we already knew there were certain renovations that needed to be made. The hall bathroom had a rotten spot on the floor near the bathtub where water had been leaking. There were no lights in the living room, so we decided to install recessed lighting. There were no lights in the attic, so we installed lighting up there. Over the next few years we would paint the entire house, paint the kitchen cabinets, replace the kitchen floor, completely remodel the hall bathroom, and finally replace all the carpet throughout the entire house. It was a lot of work.

I couldn't have done it all at once; I didn't have the time, energy, or money to do it all at once. But slowly and surely we made that house better. Of course, things broke here and there. Toilets needed fixing, the kitchen faucet needed replacing, and a huge leak appeared in the rusted-out chimney cap. We had to deal with each of these problems as they came up. Some were higher priority than others. But they all needed work.

Paul wrote to the Ephesian brethren and said the Christian life needs renovation. It needs to be renewed (Ephesians 4:23). There is an old man of sin which must be cleaned up. We used to walk "as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19).

Each of us is a house in need of repairs. Some of us just need to understand the FACT we need work done on the house! How many times did Bekah have to tell me that something needed to be done in the house before I really came to terms with it? I might think, "That toilet is really not leaking badly enough yet." Until I AGREE that there is work to be done, I won't do the work.

Some of us understand there is work to be done, but we prefer to remain in the dark about WHAT needs to be done. We think ignorance is bliss. If I think about it too hard, I might realize some specific problems in my life, but as long as I don't think about it I can always say, "I guess I never thought about it." Unfortunately, Paul says we are "excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance."

So...let's think about renovating this old house. I know I need to change some things...what do I need to change?

• Lying? Renovate by learning to speak truth (4:25)
• Anger? Renovate by learning to deal with the anger in wholesome ways (4:26)
• Stealing? Renovate by learning to work hard, earn money, and give (4:28)
• Filthy or Evil Speaking? Renovate by learning to edify and build up with my tongue (4:29)
• Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, Slander, Malice? Renovate by learning kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness (4:31-32)

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Philippians