If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past couple months of home building, it’s that it takes a team to build a house! This experience has given us a great opportunity to connect with new people. We’ve met with designers, builders, and craftsmen who have helped us make all kinds of decisions, ranging from the layout of the rooms to the kinds of wood to use in the flooring. One cold morning, we brought donuts to the crew, and were awestruck at the manpower that went into the framing process. As we watched, it became clear that in every way, this has been a collaborative effort.
God works collaboratively, too. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all work together as a team in building our lives into an incredible masterpiece. Check this out:
God, the Father, predetermined and set in motion our redemption and transformation:
In the Message it is stated so beautifully, “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the image of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him” (Romans 8:29).
Jesus, the Son is the One who enables us, through His death, to become new creations:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It is in relationship with Jesus that it is possible for us to be made new.
The Holy Spirit applies transforming power to change us one step at a time:
Paul writes to the Corinthian believers, and tells them of the amazing work God will do, “Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NLT 1st Ed.)
In the next post we’ll look at the work of the Holy Spirit in framing our new lives in the Kingdom of God.