This is the second of a 3 part series by John Clark. You can read part 1 here.
In this second part I want to cover the process of being restored. I believe every Christian is at some point in this stage. Once the craftsman makes his choice, he begins the arduous task of actually restoring the vehicle or furniture. The professional restorer is not going to haphazardly throw a coat of paint over the rust and call it done. Neither is the craftsman just going to slap some varnish over the broken and scarred wood and walk away feeling satisfied with a job well done. With a car or truck, this translates into sanding or grinding the rust off. If the rust is deep enough, entire portions of the body may need to be replaced. Dents need to be beaten out, scratches need to be filled in, and welding may need to be done. The engine and transmission will also need to be repaired or even completely rebuilt. The piece of furniture will also go through a process that seems quite unpleasant. Wooden surfaces need to be sanded, deep gouges or holes need to be filled in, and severely damaged parts may need to be replaced. Old fabric and upholstery has to be taken off, cleaned, repaired or replaced. Imagine if you can if the vehicle or furniture could feel. Even though the process is necessary to make the objects beautiful again, it would be quite painful. The sanding, grinding, scraping, and replacement of irreparable parts would at times be practically unbearable. But if you have seen a restored car or truck, or have carefully inspected a refashioned piece of furniture you know it was worth it.
Believe it or not, we go through a similar process. It’s called life.
Believe it or not, we go through a similar process. It’s called life.
As we go through this life, there are things that happen we will not like, people we will meet, know, and quite possibly be related to that will absolutely drive us up the wall. More often than not, we initially wonder why God would allow those things to happen, or those circumstances to continue. What we don’t seem to immediately grasp is that God uses those things and those people to refine our minds, our wills, and our emotions – our old Adamic flesh nature. (Prov. 27:17)
when the law stands up in our hearts and minds and screams “Aha that is sin!” But at the same time the grace of God is there to remind us “You are forgiven”.
If you think about the act of sharpening something like a knife, when you scrape it against a sharpening steel or stone you are actually removing material from the knife until it gets to the desired edge to easily cut things. We all have thoughts, attitudes, judgments, and so on because of our old Adamic nature that God desires to remove from our lives. These things are so ingrained into our flesh that most of the time we do not even realize they are there. This is when God allows the sandpaper or grinding wheel of a person or circumstance to reveal them it brings those old nature thoughts and attitudes to the surface. Now, unlike the car or table getting reworked we can choose to hold onto those things. We get bitter; we are easily offended, and can actually stunt the progress of our maturity. (Gal. 5:16-26) These are the actual flaws that He brings to the surface so they can be dealt with. As the law shines its perfect light on those imperfections, it brings us to repentance. As we confess those fleshly desires to the Lord, He removes them and fills in those areas with the fruit of the Spirit. When the circumstances of life rise up and slap us in the face, this brings up all sorts of usually undignified thoughts, feelings, and sometimes actions. That is when the law stands up in our hearts and minds and screams “Aha that is sin!” But at the same time the grace of God is there to remind us “You are forgiven”. While these are necessary steps in our growth, the cutting, grinding, and scraping away of our old thought patterns and responses are almost always very painful. God never promised us an easy life. Very frequently Jesus warned us of the opposite. (Matt. 5:10-12, John 16:33) But He did promise that He would never leave or forsake us.
So is there no hope of rest or peace? Are we merely destined to be continually battered, scarred and dented throughout this life? Yes, there is peace and rest available to us now, and a final, perfect rest to come. However, as long as we are alive in this world, there will be opportunities and circumstances to be dented, scratched, to see our rust exposed.
Unlike the vehicle or furniture being restored in a garage or workshop; we still need to be out and about in this world while the Spirit of God does His work in our lives. The changes that He has made and continues to make in us radiate from the inside out. (John 15:1-5) When the things of this life come against us and when we experience attacks from the enemy of our soul, we have His strength to rely on. As we abide in Him He gives us the grace and power to show His fruit in us. We may still have some dents and scratches but people will take notice of the difference in the way we respond to things as we reflect the workmanship of our Master. Because of His work in us we become more durable as it were. The things that would severely indent us before now barely leave a mark. Those deep gouges that occur either from the words and actions of others or by our own doing now don’t seem to go as deep and seem to heal faster. What we need to remember is that the same Spirit that brought life to our spirit and works through us to renew our minds has promised us that there will come a time where the complete work of our Master will be revealed. I will elaborate on that in my next post. Until then, know that God is doing a great work in you even though the process can be extremely painful at times.
So is there no hope of rest or peace? Are we merely destined to be continually battered, scarred and dented throughout this life? Yes, there is peace and rest available to us now, and a final, perfect rest to come. However, as long as we are alive in this world, there will be opportunities and circumstances to be dented, scratched, to see our rust exposed.
Unlike the vehicle or furniture being restored in a garage or workshop; we still need to be out and about in this world while the Spirit of God does His work in our lives. The changes that He has made and continues to make in us radiate from the inside out. (John 15:1-5) When the things of this life come against us and when we experience attacks from the enemy of our soul, we have His strength to rely on. As we abide in Him He gives us the grace and power to show His fruit in us. We may still have some dents and scratches but people will take notice of the difference in the way we respond to things as we reflect the workmanship of our Master. Because of His work in us we become more durable as it were. The things that would severely indent us before now barely leave a mark. Those deep gouges that occur either from the words and actions of others or by our own doing now don’t seem to go as deep and seem to heal faster. What we need to remember is that the same Spirit that brought life to our spirit and works through us to renew our minds has promised us that there will come a time where the complete work of our Master will be revealed. I will elaborate on that in my next post. Until then, know that God is doing a great work in you even though the process can be extremely painful at times.
John Clark
John Clark is a husband to Julie, a father of one son living in Valrico, Florida. He has an Associate Degree of Theology from Life Christian University, and serves at Life Center of Brandon where he is a teacher and writer.
John Clark is a husband to Julie, a father of one son living in Valrico, Florida. He has an Associate Degree of Theology from Life Christian University, and serves at Life Center of Brandon where he is a teacher and writer.