July 18, 2006

The Master Carpenter

“And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22

When I really ponder this verse, I realize the true magnificence of God’s work in our lives. In this passage (Eph. 2:11-22), Paul is telling the Gentiles that God has removed the barriers between them and the Israelites, and that with Christ as the Cornerstone, He is building the Church to be His temple. Then, Verse 22! In Jesus, I am being built together to become the dwelling place for the Holy Spirit! Construction is a long & often painful process (this I know first-hand!). As I imagine God building me together, I remember how painstakingly and lovingly R built our home. He made sure we had a strong foundation. Sometimes, he had to force the walls to be straighter, or remove nails & put them somewhere else so that the frame would be stronger. He spackled nail holes. He wrapped everything in Tyvek before the bricks were laid, as an extra layer of protection from the elements.

Isn’t that just like God? He gives us that strong foundation in Jesus. At times, He has to bend us to make us straighter & more holy. He removes trials from our lives, and sometimes gives us new ones that will only make us stronger. He covers our sins and our hurts with Holy spackle. Most importantly, he wraps Himself around us as protection from this often harsh world. AMEN!

God is building me with His own hands. I may not like the process, and I may question why He chooses to do certain things one way rather than the way I would have chosen. Still, by faith I can know that the Architect sees the finished product, and it’s all good. What freedom!

Every time I pull into our driveway, I realize how blessed I am to have a husband who chose to build such a solid & beautiful home for our family. When I pull into Glory, how much more will I be blessed when I see the handiwork of the Master Carpenter -- the solid & beautiful temple He built in my life! Praise You, Jesus!

3 comments:

Barb said...

The Master Carpenter had His work cut out when he worked on me. The foundation was strong but it took a while to straighten my walls. Beautifully written.

Unknown said...

You have such a gift of taking God's word and applying it to our lives. You are a teacher! I love your passion for HIs word!

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