“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect … forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12–14).

When you buy a fixer-upper, you know you have some work ahead. Almost every month of the ten years we lived in our first house, we had some remodeling project underway. Living in a house while remodeling is no picnic! And yet, it’s a good description of what’s happening to all of us. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Like our house, you—and everyone around you—will always be under construction, right up until it’s time to leave your “earthly house” (2 Cor. 5:1-10) when God completes the work he started in you.

Pardon Our Dust

When you visit a store during a remodel, they have signs like, “Pardon Our Dust While We Renovate.” We need that same patience with others! We all need compassion and patience (Col. 2:12-14). Your elders, preachers, parents, and heroes are all currently under construction, so don’t be surprised when you see sawdust on their floor! No one has it all figured out. And you’re a “Work In Progress,” too. Maybe it’s helpful to imagine a “Pardon Our Dust” sign hanging around the neck of everyone you meet. Maybe they’re “not yet” what they ought to be (1 Cor. 3:2; 8:2), but “not yet” implies that someday, by grace, they could be.

Work Stoppage

The time to be most concerned is when someone is no longer under construction. Suppose the project gets abandoned, and the work stops. In that case, we need to “stir one another” to get back to it (Heb. 10:24). May we all appreciate the daily perseverance required to live in imperfect houses, slowly but steadily renovating into the perfect image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

If you don’t hone your edge, you make everything harder. So, part of your renovation assignment is to improve.

Step 1: Sharpen

First, make sure you have the right tools and they’re ready to use. “If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed” (Eccles. 10:10). If you don’t hone your edge, you make everything harder. So, part of your renovation assignment is to improve. At first glance, sharpening looks like unproductive work — no direct project results. But if you don’t do these kinds of tasks, your effectiveness goes backward rather than forwards. So, how’s your prayer life and your Bible reading? When was the last time you read another nonfiction book to improve? Are you practicing and growing your skills? What are your spiritual goals? To stay productive, you must sharpen your saw, improve your skills, and renew your strength.

Step 2: Square

When building a house, you plumb your walls (cf. Amos 7:7-8) and straighten your edges so the building stands. The Hebrew word yosher can refer to a “level” horizontal plane (Is. 26:7) or “upright” vertical frame (Exod. 36:20). Either way, there’s a sense of being “square” in the carpenter’s definition. It’s the same word the psalmist uses when he says, “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules” (Ps. 119:7). Some might think we get too hung up on God’s “rules,” like we should have some amorphous form of “spirituality” with no standards. The One who made an orderly universe of laws reveals himself in moral laws. He tells us his rules, not to boss us around (though he has that right) but so we can build a house that stands!

Step 3: Secure

I love the fastener aisle at Home Depot, where you can find 7,000 varieties of screws, nails, and bolts to hold a house together. Our spiritual house needs fastened securely to the Lord. Are you grounded and confident in your faith? Are you “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58)? The psalmist says, “the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor” (Ps. 112:6-9). You know he’s secure in the Lord because it flows outward to others. Freely giving to the poor shows our confidence that God will continue to bless us (cf. 2 Cor. 9:9).

After I pray for God to “wash me” and “blot out all my iniquities,” I need to ask him to “create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:6-12).

Step 4: Sweep

Part of doing a job is the clean up. Jesus tells a strange parable about an evicted demon who returns to find his previous house empty and swept. He decides it’s so lovely he invites seven demon friends to move in (Matt. 12:43-45). This person who housed the demon cleaned things up but NEVER let Jesus and his way of life move in! A clean heart isn’t empty. After I pray for God to “wash me” and “blot out all my iniquities,” I need to ask him to “create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:6-12).