Recently, I've been reading Broken-Down House: Living Productively in a World Gone Bad by author and speaker Paul David Tripp. The book is based on the profound metaphor of a sin-ravaged life and an old sagging, dilapidated house in need of restoration and repair.
Have you ever seen a beautiful old farmhouse while driving through the country? You know, the beautiful homes with the wrap-around porches positioned in a field big enough for Wrigley Field!
You look at the house and consider how it must have looked when it was new, and wonder how it got into such a miserable condition. You drove by never once considering the possibility of restoration; the thought was overwhelming. But, perhaps, you saw potential. After all, in the hands of a caring owner the house could be fully restored to its former beauty.
I have fond memories of my father and I working on cars together. We restored several as I was coming through my teenage years. The first one (my first car) was a 1978 Fiat 124 Spider convertible. It was a fun little car, but man, it required a lot of work! I jokingly called it the money pit because it seemed that something always needed repair. Amusingly, Fiat has often been labeled "Fix It Again Tomorrow." You ever had a car like that?
The Bible teaches that everyone is born in need of restoration. Time and exposure to the elements will ravage a house and sin will ravage one created in the image of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is beautiful. It's the message of God's unconditional love that pursues sinners; broken-down houses in need of restoration. A caring owner can fully restore a house or a car to its former beauty; our great God cares so much that He came, took on human flesh, died on a cross, and rose again that we might be restored to a former beauty.
In Christ Jesus, God sees us clothed in the righteousness of His Son rather than in the repulsive sin of the fall. Aren't you grateful that God pursued you by His grace? Aren't you grateful that God could see what you could be in Christ?
From one broken-down house to another,
Brett
* Tripp, Paul David. "Broken-Down House: Living Productively In a World Gone Bad." (Pennsylvania: Shepherd's Press, 2009), 10.