Get Yourself Together

Karen

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.

—Zephaniah 2:3

Recently while clicking around online looking for houses for sale, I happened upon a site for foreclosed homes. One such home was in a nearby town our family was considering moving to, so we hopped in the car to drive by and take a look.

We pulled into the neighborhood and found the home at the end of a cul-de-sac. Suddenly it hit me. I’d seen this house before! When it was built more than twenty years ago, it was featured in the local parade of homes. But the house that stood before me now was not at all one to be showcased. It was in a state of severe disrepair with overgrown, scraggly landscaping and a dilapidated, sagging roof. It looked almost uninhabitable. A neighbor who saw us looking at it warned us it was overrun with rodents.

But someone must have seen past the ramshackle state of this property because last month it went back on the market. It had been completely gutted and remodeled and now sported all the latest must-have renovation items such as shiplap, sliding barn doors, and a huge farmhouse kitchen sink.

Zephaniah chapter 2 tells of God’s calling His people to get their act together because their nation was in a state of disrepair. This prophet urged them to repent while there was still time, allowing God to cover and conceal their sins.

Just as the Lord told wayward people in the Old Testament to gather together and repent, we must get ourselves together—through the power of the Holy Spirit—who can enable us to walk in obedience. The dilapidated home that was converted back into a showpiece again could not renovate itself. Neither can we. We can, however, allow God to do the transforming as we cooperate by humbling ourselves, seeking Him, desiring to walk in righteousness, and obeying His commands. We can make time for studying His Word and connecting with Him through prayer. We can purpose to care about our spiritual growth, making it a priority in our schedules.

When we do our part by getting ourselves together, God sees our willing hearts. Then He acts with His incredible power and allows us to be wonderfully renewed.

Father, may I not take sin lightly but instead examine it seriously in light of the awful grip it can have on me, causing devastation. Help me seek righteousness, pursue humility, and follow Your commands. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Is there an area of your life that needs an overhaul? If so, which of these actions from Zephaniah 2:3 do you most need to do: seek the Lord, obey His commands, pursue righteousness, or acquire humility?