Refurbish Or Rebuild?

Justin Simmons, in an article titled “Called Out Of Nothingness,” highlights God’s propensity to work from the ground up in our lives:

“Very few would dispute that God has a history of using the most unlikely of suspects. Perhaps that is because of the humility resulting from their respective situations. Maybe it is because by using such people God’s action is more clearly recognized as just that: God’s action.

“I tend to think that God has chosen this as his modus operandi because, by reducing us to nothing, he returns us to our default setting. God doesn’t seem to be one who is interested in remodeling, so much as rebuilding. He doesn’t come into our hearts hoping he can add on an extra bedroom and half-bath, a comfy place for him over in the corner of our affections. He wants to rebuild the entire structure, and the easiest way to do that is to tear down the old edifice.

“This isn’t how we prefer to look at ourselves. We would like to think we are more of a “fixer-upper” than a building fit only to be condemned. Couldn’t God just come in and splash a fresh coat of paint on the walls, create more of an open floor plan, and maybe update the appliances? (I swear every HGTV show I watch, the couple thinks the appliances need updating, but I digress.) Instead, he wants to rebuild us from the ground up.”*

God’s desire is that we be made new, not merely refurbished (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10).  Spiritually speaking, when we come to Christ, we are more akin to the condemned property that needs to be demolished than we are to the outdated 3 bedroom ranch on the corner that just needs a sprucing up before putting it back on the market (Romans 5:6-21).  But that’s no problem for the One who specializes in condemned property!  He delights in “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).  Thank you Father!

God loves you!

Mike

*http://char.is/blog/2018/09/10/called-out-of-nothingness/

Excellence In The Midst Of Failure

“Edward Steichen, who eventually became one of the world's most renowned photographers, almost gave up on the day he shot his first pictures. At 16, Steichen bought a camera and took 50 photos. Only one turned out—a portrait of his sister at the piano. Edward's father thought that was a poor showing, but his mother insisted the photograph of his sister was so beautiful that it more than compensated for 49 failures. Her encouragement convinced the youngster to stick with his new hobby. He stayed with it for the rest of his life, but it had been a close call. What tipped the scales? The vision to spot excellence in the midst of a lot of failure.”*

This story reminds me of God’s ability to also spot excellence in the midst of a lot of failure.  Judges chapter six begins with Israel in a whole lot of trouble because of their sins.  God had withdrawn his protection from Israel and Midian began to dominate them, forcing them into hiding and destroying their crops.  In the midst of this dire situation, we are introduced to Gideon.  He is hiding in a wine press and working hard to salvage the wheat his family had been able to save from the Midianites.  Imagine him toiling away when the angel of the Lord appears to him and speaks these words: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”

Every time I read this account, I imagine Gideon looking around the wine press for someone else and then saying, “Who, me?”  He is certainly not feeling like a “valiant warrior.”  In a torrent of words, he shares his sense of failure and abandonment (v. 13).  But God looked beyond the obstacles to see what Gideon could be with a little divine encouragement and help.  And as time went on, Gideon did become the valiant warrior that God knew he could be.

What failures are keeping you from becoming what God sees in you?

God loves you!

Mike

*Bits & Pieces, Feb. 4, 1993

Bricks

“A number of years back, a young and very successful executive was travelling down a suburban street in his brand new black Ferrari. Suddenly a brick was thrown from the sidewalk, thumping into the side of the car.

“Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the car back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. The driver jumped out, grabbed the kid who had thrown the brick and pushed him up against a parked car. “What was that all about?!” he screamed. “That’s my new Ferrari, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money!”

“Please, mister, please …. I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop!” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

“The mood was transformed in a moment as the young executive realised what had occurred.  He lifted the young man into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts. He then watched as the younger brother pushed him down the sidewalk toward their home.

“The young exec never did fix the dented side door of his  sports car. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention.”*

Life can get hectic, can’t it?  We can get so busy with our own priorities and agendas that we can miss what’s truly important.  Why is it that it often takes a health crisis, a financial reversal, a family breakdown, etc., to finally get our attention?  Let’s learn to slow down enough to take stock of our lives BEFORE the brick comes our way.

God loves you!

Mike

*Adapted from storiesforpreaching.com