Devotion #2: Fixer-Upper

Growing up in my household, if we were watching TV as a family, nine times out of ten, my parents would have some type of home improvement show playing. HGTV or the DIY channel were a common occurrence. My parents loved watching shows where professionals would come into houses that were falling apart and looked horrible. They would demo or remodel them into gorgeous works of art. As a kid, I hated these shows and would have much rather been watching one of my shows, but as I have gotten older, I have also come to love those shows. I love watching the craftsmanship and all of the problem-solving that goes into these homes, but most importantly, I love watching the care the professionals put into the houses. I know not everyone shares the love for this kind of entertainment, but what if I told you that every single one of us has been at the center of one of these fixer-upper stories, whether we realize it or not?  

Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ states, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 

The fixer-upper story that I spoke of earlier comes straight out of Romans chapter 8, and we are like the house that needs to be remodeled. Romans says that our bodies are dead; why is that? It is because of our sin. Our sin causes us to be broken and falling apart, but luckily, we do not have to stay that way. As Romans chapter 8 says, if Jesus dwells in us, we are given life through Him. Jesus is the “professional” who comes into our broken down “house” and cares for it and heals it. We must accept Christ to have Him dwell in us, and for those of us who have already accepted Christ, we must celebrate the fact that He gives life to our broken, dead bodies. 

However, as with anything else, you must take care of and maintain the work that has been done. As Christians who have accepted Christ, we must further our relationship with Christ. Seek Him out, read Scripture, and talk to Him because without maintenance, our “houses” will become broken and appear dead once again.