I love my home and I give thanks to God every day for it. There are many people in this world that are homeless and millions that live in deplorable places, that cannot be called “houses” by any stretch of the imagination.
My house is perfect for me: It is not too small or too big. It has everything that I need to live comfortably, but it is not complete. As all homeowners know, there is always something to do around the house. There is a never-ending and growing to-do list of chores and projects. I am talking about home repairs, paint jobs, mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, cleaning the house, cleaning the septic tank, cleaning the windows, etc. I am not even mentioning the “extra” projects needed to keep the house up to date.
As I reflect on these things (and all the money that it’s going to cost me), I remember my time as a missionary in Guatemala. As we drove through the towns and villages, we noticed that most houses were incomplete. There were steel or iron bars sticking out from almost every roof. When we asked about this strange phenomenon, we were told that the houses were incomplete in order to avoid taxes.
In a sense, all Christians are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). We have been born again and saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8). In addition to this, all of our sins have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:31, 32), we are now children of God (John 1:12), we are heirs of eternal life (John 6:47; Romans 8:17) and our salvation is complete and secure (John 10:20-30).
There is so much more that I can add to this, including that the Holy Spirit dwells in us (John 14:17), that the Word of God is our guide for everything (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) and that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8). Shouldn’t all of this (and so much more) be enough for us to lead victorious and fruitful lives?
Christians are imperfect and incomplete saints. Some of us are further ahead on the road of holiness and sanctification, but all of us are still unfinished diamonds. One day, we shall possess unblemished and imperishable perfection in heaven, but for now we can rejoice because God is still working on us and He will make sure that none of his children will be lost.
Two Bible verses come to mind to illustrate this point and conclude this writing:
“…that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
- G.
