Did you ever watch the TV program “Extreme Makeover”? It’s absolutely surprising what a crew of planners and professionals can do to totally renovate a home and garden in one week. They race against the clock in order to remodel or reconstruct every room in the house so that a deserving family will have a home that is like new. The surprise on the owners’ faces and the joy in their hearts seems to sufficiently reward those who have worked so hard to accomplish all of the necessary tasks that are involved in changing the rather pathetic place to a desirable home.
Have you ever compared this kind of total renovation to your own need for transformation? Paul explains this in his letter like this: “Put off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.” It’s not a job that those believers could ever accomplish by themselves, is it? There isn’t any way that any of them would have the expertise, the dedication, or the ability to change their behavior in such a dramatic way. It’s not a job you or I can tackle on our own either. The good news is God knew all this about us and so He not only sent Jesus, but He sent the Holy Spirit, who is waiting and able to renew our thoughts and attitudes. Through His power, we can experience a radical change in our choices and behavior. Does it mean the job will be completed in a day or a week or even a year? Obviously not. It is a change that generally occurs step by step, throughout a whole lifetime, as we trust in Him.
There is no lottery or application for this kind of personal extreme makeover, is there? All that is required is a humble heart and grateful spirit. Is it what you really want God to do for you?