Painting the Wall
Hebrews 4:12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.(NRSV)
They say that an overnight success takes, on average, around twenty years. It’s true. There’s no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme. And when it comes to our character, it takes years of careful work by the One who made us in the first place to produce the final product.
A few years ago, my wife and I bought a beautiful old house built way back in the 1890’s. But it had been a boarding house for many years. You can imagine the bumps and knocks in the ornate plasterwork and woodwork.
So we hired some painters to fix the place up. What amazed me though, was how long it took them to prepare the surfaces for painting. The scraping back of countless layers of old paint, then the filling and sanding, took a few weeks, while the painting by comparison seemed to be over in no time at all. Even though the paint provided the final finish, it was the preparation underneath that made it what it is today.
And it’s the same in our lives too. We live in a world that focuses on the glossy exterior – the success that people can see.
But God goes beneath the surface and sees our hearts. And just like those painters, He knows that to produce the final product, He has to deal with the stuff that lies beneath.
Hebrews 4:12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (NRSV)
Let’s be honest … we’d like instant success. But God works away at those deep things inside by speaking His Word – which is living and active – into our lives. That’s why it has such power to deal with the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.
The question is, are we listening?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Martha
This is so true! Today, you can turn on your TV & watch many home improvement shows. You see them tearing down ...
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This is so true! Today, you can turn on your TV & watch many home improvement shows. You see them tearing down walls, for a better flow. Then they decide to put down a nice flooring that runs consistently throughout. But before they can do that, they rip up the old floor. Now to prime the walls & woodwork for the painting. I watch this process & think how God needs to come into my mind & body & prepare it for Himself.
Cheryl Dansby
The Word is always fresh, anointed and timely; I appreciate and love your perspective, it has been a blessing to me for ...
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The Word is always fresh, anointed and timely; I appreciate and love your perspective, it has been a blessing to me for many years. I pray God’s continued blessings upon you and yours…
Thank you!