In awe, for the first time, I looked at the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the largest bridge spans in the world. As I traveled over the bridge and looked below and smiled as I saw a buoy shaped as a dog house with “Snoopy” on top of it. The bridge spans for 6,450 feet to connect northern California to the Peninsula of San Francisco. The huge twin towers are one of the first structures seen from ships as they approach San Francisco. These twin towers stand on either side of the bridge, about 1,125 feet from the ends and hold two large steel cables that span 4,200 feet to support the bridge. The lower level of the bridge is 220 feet above water, and 90 feet wide. It has a concrete six lane road and sidewalks. The bridge was completed in May, 1937, at a cost of over 35 million dollars. I learned that The Golden Gate Bridge requires a never-ending maintenance program of 35 painters to continually paint the bridge. They paint the same color day of international orange day after day, and year after year. Once the painting is finished, they start all over again and again as it is a never-ending maintenance program (GoldenGateBridge.org).
This special maintenance program reminds me of God’s Continual Maintenance Program. Salvation is a one-time permanent act of God (John 10:28) that cannot be bought, undone, exchanged, or lost, but sanctification is a lifetime maintenance process to change, conform and correct us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). J.R. Rice said, “I have not become sinless, but I do sin-less. Under God’s Continual Maintenance Program He chips here and there, whittle this and that, adjusts and corrects to make us become more Christlike.
Good News! God is still in the life changing business. He can change you, you, and even you (2Cor. 5:17). I know because when I was 23 years old the Lord changed my life and since He continually works to make me what I ought to be. I often think, “Where would I have been if God had not saved me?” I love this song, “He’s still working on me. To make me what I need to be… How loving and patient He must be ‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me (and the paint is still wet).”
I say, The greatest testimony to the world is a changed and consistent life. Thank God, I am not what I once, but I am still not what I should be. But thankfully God is still working on me and the paint is still wet. Why? Because I am still under God’s Continual Maintenance Program.
“When God corrects don’t resist but respond” – TC
