Building Plans

Well, things are progressing nicely on the house.  Fortunately we didn't require plans to be approved by the Municipality for the interior alterations.  However, having plans for that certainly were necessary so that the builder knew what had to be done.  One day I arrived on site and noticed that they were digging the foundations for the double garage we were going to build.  I quickly informed them that the plans hadn't been passed for that part of the building and so they couldn't proceed until they were.  It was just as well I stopped them as the building inspector came the next day and we might have incurred penalties for going ahead without permission.  We are still waiting for these to be approved.  We are building over the boundary line, so we needed to obtain the neighbours' permission, which they kindly granted.  Hopefully this will soon be approved so that the final phase of this work can be completed.  In the meantime the old single garage has been converted into a small flat which we felt the Lord asked us to do so that we can offer accommodation to a couple of our Eagles Rising students when they finish at the college and go on to further training.  It will also be useful extra accommodation for our ever-growing family when they come and visit in the future.

But of course, there is a lot in the Bible about plans.  So one does well to consider how important they are.  Have you ever noticed how detailed are the plans God gives Noah for the ark, Moses for the tabernacle, and Solomon for the temple. The Word of God says that these plans are exact copies of the actual reality that is in heaven.  We so easily think that the physical world we live in, the buildings we inhabit, the lives we live, the bodies we dwell in,  are the ultimate reality and so we perhaps focus too much on them, whereas the Bible says that the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are not seen are eternal.  What I am trying to say is that heaven is the "Unseen Real" and God is a God of vision, purpose and planning.  He created this amazing universe in such precision, detail and perfection that if any star or planet was even a micro-millimeter out of line, it would throw the whole balance of creation out of kilter.
I can easily see if my builder has built a wall slightly off line and I ask him to re-build it as it would irritate me if it wasn't straight.  How amazing that God is willing to work with us in building his kingdom, knowing we will often get it wrong.  He is so brilliant at taking our mistakes and working them into his eternal design and plan.  He says, "I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  (Jer.29:11)  Romans 8:28 "We know that in all things God works for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."  
His purpose and plan is to use everything in our lives to make us more and more like His Son.  That is His overall plan, which in fact was the very reason for making man in the beginning.  "Let us make man in our own image."  He hasn't given up on that original plan to make us like himself. And he will take all the stuff that happens, even those things that were not His best plan for us, and weave them into his overall design, even transforming the bad things into blessings if we let Him and trust Him.

When I was very upset because something had been done in the house that wasn't quite how I wanted it and how I had envisioned it, God comforted me with the reminder that He made a perfect creation and His vision and purpose for it was perfect but we sinned and made a very complete hash of it.  That must have grieved him very deeply because when he had finished making the world he saw it was very good.  How much we have spoiled it through our sin, greed and selfishness.  But even in this deep sorrow and disappointment, He knew how he would bring restoration and healing. Jesus is His answer to the wasteland of our lives and our world.  One day all of creation will be healed and made new.  God is a God of restoration and renovation.  He makes all things new and especially he is in the business of making us new, and is able to take the mess of our mistakes, folly and sin and re-build, turn us around and make us new creations in Christ.  Wow! It makes sense to follow His plan for our lives if we want to build what He has in mind for us.