If I hire a contractor to perform some work on our house, before he arrives to begin the work, we will have come to an agreement for the cost, and in these days, it will be a written agreement, not a verbal one. Parts and labor, the total cost revealed, and that price will not be altered, if he finds an unknown while performing the task, that is on him, his responsibility is to do diligent research, to complete the work fully and on time as agreed.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)
In the loosest of analogies my friends, I hired the Lord Jesus Christ to not only fix my life, but change my heart, I contracted with Him, to protect and preserve my soul for all eternity. He knew who I was completely before He took the job, and I did the diligent research to make sure I was hiring the perfect carpenter.
To my own fault, I did not realize that the work involved in transforming my mind, removing the stoney heart, would take my entire life.
At the bottom of the contract it states, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
And I believed Him, the contract stated clearly that I am to die to self, and, again, foolishly I thought that would be an easy task.
It turns out He thought it best to not only repair one room in my house, but that the entire house needed to be demolished, along with the foundation it rested upon.
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” (Phil. 3:8)
Everything I held as valuable needed to go, and He did not always ask my permission first, I hired Him to do a job, and I must trust the Master Carpenter in whatever He decides is best, I signed the contract as well as He did, and both of us must fulfill our obligations in full.
But there was a small clause I apparently missed in the beginning; I have to help.
I cannot just go about my life while He toils tirelessly at the work, I cannot just go about my business or pleasures as I once did, I am expected to put forth effort, much effort, for in this truth I abide, the carpenter I hired is now my employer, my Master.
Apparently, I missed that part in the contract as well.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)
He does not give my any days off, no sick days, no vacations, I cannot even offer any excuses because He is always by my side, He never leaves me. And He will accept no lackadaisical effort, He wants me working for Him and with Him all the time.
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1st Cor. 10:31)
The work is hard, He wants everything not just changed, but destroyed and rebuilt, and there are not a few things that I try to disagree with Him on. But He is uncanny in His ability to see right through me, as if, which is true I found out, He can even read my thoughts.
He turns my head back to the work when I am distracted, He reminds me gently when I begin to take pride in some of the work that has been completed that He is the Master Carpenter, and that if I would not have followed His advice none of what has been done would have been completed without Him, and I must admit, though He is a difficult and unyielding taskmaster, the work that has been done is magnificent, I would have never thought it possible.
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)
I signed the contract, and I will not go back on my word, in fact, I couldn’t if I wanted to, my life now belongs to Him.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1st John 3:2)
A humorous analogy at best, but remember, if you have been born-again, this is the contract you signed.
