Selby starting looking for a house to purchase about a year before we got married. Although I wasn’t going to be living in it just yet, he involved me in the search process, and when we found a house that we both thought we could make a home once we did get married, he made an offer, the owners accepted, they signed the papers, and Selby became the owner of the house. At the beginning, we did different things to spruce it up – like tearing down wallpaper and painting rooms. Now that we have been living here for 10+ years, we have accumulated Stuff – you know the Stuff you don’t know what to do with… And just what do you do with all this paper? I have the type of personality that I need for there to be a place for everything. And when there’s not, it drives me a bit batty. You’ve seen those Celebrating Home or Better Home and Gardens homes – well, my house is NOT like that, but sometimes it really frustrates me that I can’t be that way. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not the things in those magazines – it’s the order that those pictures represent. Over the years we have taken on several different home improvement projects, and I keep thinking, “when we are finished, maybe…”. One day I feel that we will be able to finished what we started with this house, and I will finally be satisfied – maybe not necessarily with the house, but with the feeling of finishing something we started so many years ago.
So why the rant? I have a point. I promise.
Sanctification – we are, we are being, and we will be perfectly sanctified.
When we turn to Christ, recognizing that our hearts are covered in sin, and we ask for forgiveness that only He can give because of His precious blood sacrifice on the cross for us, we are bought and paid for – the papers are signed and sealed and we are His. 1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Washed. Justified – made right in the sight of the Lord. We are sanctified – set apart for God’s purpose for us.
Even though we are set apart, we are obviously not perfect – just like any house you buy or build is probably not going to be perfect. We have flaws and we cave to pressure and sin, and sometimes we even hoard those sins or bad habits. The concept of being initially sanctified (saving grace through faith – the foundation) and then also being progressively or continuously sanctified is that we fix our eyes on Christ in order to keep our hearts from getting cluttered with the things of this world. We do heart improvement by studying His Word and spending time in prayer and by spending time with other believers in worship. Keep in mind that this part of the process is completely separate from the paper signing…we do this not so He’ll keep the deed, but because He already holds and cherishes it. Sometimes I find myself comparing my Christian walk to a fellow believer’s walk. I have to remind myself that just like the houses in the magazine, that person may have some rooms with Stuff hidden in them, so it is best for me to just follow Christ the best way I know how, using Him as the ultimate example. Following others as an example is fine, but setting them up as the model of perfection is not the way to go because no human on earth is perfect.
One day – we will be perfect. One day He will come for us and this process of sanctification will be complete. We will be free from the sin that makes our life messy and miserable. One day we will be like Christ who perfectly reflects the Father. We will be able to serve and worship our God perfectly just like how we were created and we will love every minute of it.
In the meantime…”He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be….”