Junk or treasure?

Hopefully you had a little chuckle over the RECALL notice posted a few days ago.  It takes the truth of the Gospel and puts into words we can relate to I think.

Today we are going to take that one step farther.  Here is a visual to help you process that Jesus wants to take you on with His recall.

I have been studing a devotional on Freedom in Christ lately.  This is an area I have struggled with for years.  I am enjoying my workbook and I hope to have gained a lot by the time it is complete.  In the second lesson in the book the author gave a visual that has stuck with me all along.  It is dealing with the concept of REDEMPTION.  The work on the cross - what exactly did it accomplish?

It starts with the author finding an old, beat up and rickety looking chair at a garage sale.  It was in such bad shape to most people it looked more like garbage than a treasure to find.  "Despite its obvious flaws, I knew this chair was going to be beautiful once I worked my crafter's magic on it", says the author.

"Beneath the layered paint was a beautiful grain of oak.  Why would anyone want to cover it up with gloppy old paint?  Slowly and steadily, as I worked on it, the chair took on a new identity.  What had been just a piece of junk was now becoming a beautiful little side chair, soon to take its place in a room filled with country furnishings.  Once it was finished I was amazed at how beautiful, functional and special this chair had become to me.

"Just like this little chair, worn out and broken from use, we too need someone to recover us from the heap of life's pieces and make us new.  Our paint is chipped and shows signs of distress.  Our legs that keep us upright and functioning will need some extra-strength glue to carry us through the journey.  We need to be pulled out of the trash heap and reclaimed for the beautiful. functional, and special creations God has created us to be."  Italics added are mine.

God has a plan for you - no matter how broken down you feel or look.  You are a treasure.  He has bought you - paid for you in FULL.  Now He has plans to strip you of your old paint, sand down your rough edges and make you useful and functional for Him. Remember Jeremiah 29:11?

Now doesn't that feel good?  To be wanted.  To be useful.  To be beautiful in His eyes, despite our worn and tattered shell.


If that is exactly the message you needed to hear and you are a woman - check out Debbie Alsdorf's website and blog.  She is passionate about inspiring women to live "changed".  The bible study I am currently doing is He Is My Freedom: Living the Promise of a Changed Life.