The House God is Building
The Fellowship of the Burning Heart
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.” (C.S. Lewis)
When Renovation Hurts
C.S. Lewis’s analogy of the Christian life as a house under renovation captures a truth we often resist. We’re comfortable with God fixing the obvious - patching leaks, repairing broken pipes, reinforcing what was already there. These are the areas we admit need work. But then, without warning, he starts tearing down walls we thought were fine, dismantling rooms we were fond of, and expanding parts of the house we never planned to change. The work is disruptive, sometimes painful, and often bewildering.
Jesus told his disciples, “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Pruning isn’t pleasant. It means cutting away, reshaping, stripping back what seems healthy so that something even better might grow. If we were left to design our own spiritual formation, we would settle for something manageable - a tidy little cottage, comfortable and self-contained. But God has no interest in merely making us “better versions” of ourselves. He’s transforming us into the image of Christ, building us into a dwelling fit for his presence (Ephesians 2:22).
A Palace for the King
God’s renovations are not random. Though we don’t always understand his methods, his purpose is clear: He intends to come and live in the house himself. The Christian life isn’t a self-improvement project where we call in God for repairs. It’s a total reconstruction, a reordering of our priorities, affections, and desires so that we can truly be his dwelling place.
Scripture gives us glimpses of what this means. The Apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The implications are staggering. A temple is not just a place of residence but a place of worship, consecrated for holy purposes. Our lives, then, aren’t meant to be filled with mere self-fulfillment and personal comfort but with the very presence and purposes of God.
The Pain and Glory of Transformation
Yet, if we’re honest, we often resist this process. We might say, “Lord, fix what’s broken, but don’t touch the parts I like.” We prefer the comfort of familiarity to the uncertainty of transformation. We question his wisdom when he removes things we thought were necessary or when he delays building the things we desire.
But in those moments, we must remember: His plans are greater than ours. As Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” What feels like loss is often the necessary clearing away for something greater. What seems like chaos is the careful hand of the Master Architect crafting something beyond what we imagined.
The question is, will we trust him? Will we submit to the process, even when it’s painful, believing that he’s not merely repairing a shack but building a palace fit for the King?
Questions for Personal Reflection
What areas of your life have you willingly surrendered to God for renovation? What areas are you still resisting?
How have you seen God’s pruning at work in your life, even when it was painful or confusing?
What would it mean for you to fully embrace the idea that your life is being built into a temple for his presence?
Walking Points
This week, spend time in prayer asking God to reveal areas where you’re resisting his transformation. Write down anything he brings to mind and seek his grace to surrender those areas to him.
Reflect on a past season of spiritual pruning. How did God use it to shape you? Consider sharing your experience with someone who might be struggling with God’s work in their life.
Until next time, keep walking wisely, and may the Lord bless you every step of the way.
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