“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:25-26
God is in the ”fixer-upper” business! He renovates souls that have become filthy through sin, rebellion, selfishness, greed, cruelty, guilt, and shame. He renovates hearts that have been hardened by cynicism, pain, hurt, disappointment, and manipulation. He renovates minds numbed by failure, addiction, and the endless pursuit of false “ultimates”.
Have you been renovated? God performs this renovation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus into this world to live a life of perfect cleanness, kindness, love, and wisdom before dying on a cross as a perfect sacrifice to pay off our accumulated sin debt. He died to deal with everything that’s made you filthy. Jesus was buried and rose from the dead, freely offering renovation to everyone who believes and trusts in Him as Lord.
Once you trust in Jesus, you are made clean. God’s gift of grace given through faith in Jesus Christ washes each believer clean of sin. God’s grace continues to wash us clean whenever we sin and confess that sin to God. Once you trust in Jesus, you immediately receive a new heart and spirit – the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within you and seals you as new creation belonging to God.
In Christ, those who were spiritually dead are made alive. Our hearts truly begin to beat for the first time. Then comes the great adventure of God’s ongoing renovation work! As you walk in obedience to Christ, worshiping Him, learning about Him, talking to Him in prayer, thinking deeply about Him, serving Him, and sharing Him with others, God continues the renovation work in your soul to make you increasingly like Jesus in how you think, speak, and act.
Has your renovation begun? If not, trust in Jesus as your Lord!
Is your renovation continuing to progress? If not, confess any sin, draw near to Christ, and truly follow Him!