As I sit in my office the sound of heavy machinery creeping around serves as an indication that construction has begun on the new development around the church property.    These sounds and sights of new things getting ready to happen right around us got me thinking about how God works new things in our lives.    The first part of the project, which is where things are right now, requires a lot of grubbing and clearing, specifically of blackberry bushes, tall grass, small trees, old fences, dumped tires and couches, and whatever else must go before the new buildings can be constructed.  As it relates to our spiritual lives, it is important to remember that before God does a new thing in us, we might need some serious grubbing and clearing.  Over time, bad habits creep in, spiritual weeds overtake our lives that sap our energy, and things that might have been good for us in the past have now become rote and a drag on our spiritual life.   We need some grubbing and clearing.  This is the ministry of John the Baptist, who came proclaiming repentance and thereby prepared the way for the Lord.   Without the repentance that was needed people would not be ready to hear the fresh new word of the Lord.

The second part of the project, to be started in a few weeks, will include the building of roads, curb and gutter, sidewalks, and eventually housing for hundreds of families and retired couples.  That’s when the new things come in, the fresh asphalt, lumber, and paint.  This is the exciting part that gets all the press and will include pictures in the Keizer times and the Statesman Journal.  It is important to realize that the building phase can only begin when the preparation has been completed.

The lesson from this is simple.  We may be trying to make new strides in our faith and cover new ground in our relationship with Christ but failing because we have yet to do the grubbing and clearing that is necessary.   It may be that a “root of bitterness” you’ve let spring up in your life needs to be grubbed out before new growth can occur.  It is a very real possibility that the secret sin that you partake of out of a misguided sense of entitlement or because its “not hurting anything” needs to be cleared from your heart before you take the next step in your life in Christ.

So, today, pause and reflect on what in your life might need to be grubbed and cleared.  Pray to God that he will reveal this to you and help you remove it from your life.  Darren