Perfecting: Repair and Recover

“For we rejoice whenever we are weak and you are powerful; this also we pray for, your perfecting.” (2 Corinthians 13:9, RecVer)

Footnote from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version: Or, restoring. Implying repairing, adjusting, putting in order again, mending; perfectly joining together (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10 and note 4), thoroughly equipping, well furnishing; thus, perfecting, completing, educating. The apostles prayed for the Corinthians that they might be restored, put in order again, and thoroughly equipped and edified to grow in life for the building up of the Body of Christ.

And they delivered it into the hand of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and those who did the work, who worked in the house of Jehovah, used it to mend and repair the house. 2 Chronicles 34:10

During the reign of Josiah, the people under his kingship collected offering and delviered it to the people who did the repair work of the house of Jehovah that was in ruin. In this, the principle of repair can be seen whenever the need arises. The ruins of the house of Jehovah was not torn down for new building, but the remains and ruins were repaird instead.  Herein I learned the lesson and apply it in my family life and personal life too. Repairing whatever needs to be repaired and not letting things go when they can actually be reapired. 

The Lord in His mercy has been preserving all of us despite the "ruins" the enemy has done since our human birth. Yet the Lord comes in did the "reparing" works spiritually, psychologically, and physically. These days I also have been feeling the Lord's repairing works in my personal Christian life and the lives of a good number of saints I know. He knows excatly what to repair and when and how to repair. Subjectively in many cases, he does the reparing work by first reviving us inwardly through His speaking or through the members of His Body. Then, He renews the mind of the people He has been "repairing", gradually restoring their soul and finally recovering their normal function in the Body. All these, He does for the sake of fulfilling His purpose through man. He has been faithfully and skillfully carrying out His repairing works. I am still under His divine repairing work day by day.

However, this must not be misunderstood with the truth in Galatian 2:20.

I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

As He does the repairing works, He brings us into an identification with Himself in His death, and brings us into His resurrection. The result of such repairing work is, "no longer I but Christ." What was useless has now become useful to the Lord. What was worth wasting has now become worthy. The Lord never gives upon on anyone. He can turn the worst to the best.

This spiritual lesson I learnt from the broken utensils in my kitchen that needed repairing.  In fact, they could have been discarded as garbage and new vessels could have been brought.  But I still wanted to give them a second chance and tried my best to repair them and somehow make them useful. Therefore, I paid the price to search for a repair shop in Sikanderpur and Chakkarpur market one evening. After Lee than an hour of search I found a shop that could repair most of my broken utensils. Therefore, I repaired whatever could be repaired. 

I did the same for my wife's phone whose charging jack created problem in charging for many weeks which I finally got it repaired. In this way, instead of discarding what can be used I still repaired and made them usable. These experiences led me to the spiritual application in my Christian life, the need for repairing the ruins of the house of God which further applies to the need for experiencing the cross of Christ in "repairing work" and live Christ as the "repaired" person.

This repairing work is the work of recovering which includes reviving, restoring, and renewing to make me a new person in Christ as His organically recovered person.

Praise the Lord for such a repairing work!