"Extreme Home Makeover"

I had the opportunity to be directly involved with HGTV's "Extreme Home Makeover" Cleveland, edition when they came a few years back and re-did the house for the family in Maple Heights.  It was a rare and awesome honor to have been a part of that.  The team literally tore down the old home and rebuilt the new home in a  matter of days.  And when they were finished, there was a brand new larger more modern home standing, that even faced in a different direction in the place where the old one had been.  The before and after pictures were simply astounding.  We went from a small falling down deeply in need of repair home, to a home that could very well be placed on the front of and be featured in "House Beautiful."  But a lot of work went into the rebuilding of the old home to make it picture perfect that was not seen on camera. 
There were people, many of whom were professionals, who literally stayed on site round the clock, taking shifts to assure that this house was done right and completed on time.  Yes, the family was getting by in the old house, and for them that that was ok.  They were completely comfortable there.  They had a few bumps and hurdles to jump over on a day to day basis, but all in all, they were ok.  They were doing good.   No matter how badly in need of repair it was, they were home.  But someone else saw their struggles and decided it was time to make a change for this family.  They deserved a better home.

Many times in our lives, we must go through an "Extreme Home Makeover."  Our lives are sometimes in shambles.  We go through periods when we feel like nothing is working right.  The plumbing is messed up.  You put up a wall, the ceiling falls.  You patch a hole, a floor tile comes up.  You go to prayer, all hell breaks loose in your home.  You press to make it to the house of God, your car breaks down.  Just as you make a decision to pray more and study the word of God more, thoughts begin to come into our heads that DO NOT glorify God, at all!!!  You are enticed to go place that would not spiritually benefit you, or view things that will actually tarnish your spirit.  There is always battles to fight, repairs to be done.  Always a hill to climb.  And always room for more improvement in our lives.  The worst is over though.  You've done the first greatest thing that you could have ever done, when you gave up your life of sin and accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal savior.  That was the hard part, admitting that you were wrong.  And let's face it, nobody thinks their wrong; and nobody likes to be wrong; and nobody likes to be told that they are wrong.  That just lets you know from the beginning, YOU'RE ALL WRONG!  According to

1 Corinthians 6:19 Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  1 Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  When you don't allow Him to make those costly repairs, then your spirit is all wrong.  But, when you allow Christ to complete the "Home Improvement Project" He began in your life when you first believed, you will begin to be able to enjoy the benefits of having a house that is in complete working order.  There is nothing like it.  But when the roof goes, then the plumbing goes, then the windows need replacing, and so on, and so on, it can begin to get a little hard, even discouraging to allow Him to complete the repairs.  Don't let the repairs in your life wait too long until something else goes wrong.  Like an automobile that has sat over the entire winter without being started.  At first it was just the battery that needed changing.  Now because you left it so long without repairing, starting it up, or cleaning it out, something else has gone wrong.  Now, it's the alternator and the starter, and now it needs to be towed.  It has become much more costly to repair than it would have been if you had tended to the repairs in the first place.  Allow God to repair you House, your body, your temple, your mind, your soul.  Allow Him to do those Extreme Home Makeovers in your life.  EVEN IF IT MEANS LETTING SOMEONE GO, OR CUTTING SOMEONE OR SOMETHING OUT OF YOUR LIFE THAT IS NOT AND HAS NOT BEEN BENEFICIAL TO YOUR LIFE.  Let Him take out that which does not benefit you.   Let Him replace it with good things, good wood, good parts.  And you will have a spiritual home that you and the Holy Spirit will be proud for ANYONE TO SEE.

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