Jesus is the Best Renovator, Redeemer and Friend

Home renovation shows are one of my favorites. Sometimes I enjoy them because they are hilarious. The disaster renovations on one show just make me laugh as I see a picture of some of my attempted renovations in their problems as well.  Other times I just wonder if I really want to renovate something bad enough to go through the hard part.

On a recent episode of one of the best, the show centered around a mother’s kitchen renovation attempt by her son. I have lots of ideas for my own kitchen so I was watching closely. This kitchen had been gutted quite a few months back. Walls were mere studs and cabinets were half installed. Other make shift counters held things that should have been in their proper place. The kitchen was a catastrophe and looked hopeless. 

As the host of this show walked through the disaster and surveyed the situation, it was as though a light bulb went off in the mother’s head. I heard her say these words: “Until Bryan got here we were so used to living with it the way it was we didn’t realize just how bad it had gotten.” 

That’s when God spoke to my heart. When Jesus arrives on the scene of our lives the first thing we notice is our brokenness.  We see just how bad things really are. We hate to admit it, we turn our eyes from it and try to get our minds off of it. But Jesus says I cannot fix what you do not see. You can only see the brokenness, but I can see it all, including the repair, including the redemption, including making all things new.

Oh beloved, have you been living with brokenness? Have you been trying to fix your own problems? Have you lived with the rubble so long that you think it’s normal?  Are you sweeping around the junk and hoping to keep it out of sight? Jesus is calling to your heart and speaking such sweet love words. He is calling you to let Him see what you’re unable to repair and let Him work it out for you. He does more than repair, He renews! You are destined not for more demolition but for redemption! Trust in the Lord, open up the truth of your circumstances to Him and let Him apply the Truth of His Word to your situation.  Only in facing the truth will your circumstances change. But oh beloved when Jesus gets there, everything changes!

You are loved. You are chosen. God cares for you so much that He’s never unwilling to fix your broken life, broken heart and broken things. Run to Him and live in the Light of His Word as you see the magnificent remodel only He can do.

Ephesians 1:7-8a In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

I Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.

I John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. Amplified

Psalm 107:19-22 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing.

Job 33:28-29 God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.  Yes, God does these things again and again for people.

Are You Languishing in Damage Inflicted?

My dad carried a small wound from his years in the Navy. It made one of his hands hang in a loose fist. He had to work the hand to get it to open. It wasn’t the hand that took the injury however. Only a small scar in his upper arm could be seen, and only then if you looked closely. What seemed like a small insignificant injury caused a huge problem for my father all the days of his life.

Wounds inflicted don’t always show on the surface. It may be from a jab to the heart or a knife in the back. It could be shrapnel wounds from bigger bombs thrown out without care as to who it might affect. Those bombs are born of and thrown out because of selfishness, carelessness, disloyalty, cruelty, animosity, rejection or hate.  The ongoing diseases that follow the damage include sorrow, sadness, depression, desperation, dejection, unworthiness, self-loathing and more. 

Those who send out the damaging news, information, scars, pain, and injuries don’t want peace and don’t care who gets hurt. Although the person or persons wielding the damage seem fine, eventually it will catch up with them. They can’t throw out damage without eventually receiving damage to themselves. But in the meantime, you’ve been left wounded and bleeding on the road of life and no one seems to want to pick you up and help you. If you’re not careful you will try to bandage the wounds with old dirty rags that only make it worse. You may try to pick yourself up, fix your own hurts and find that the pain remains.

Unlike my father’s wound, which caused damage for his entire life, we have a Great Physician who will come to us and bandage our hurts and heal our hearts! He is with us when we’re born again and He remains with us always, whether in the good times of joy or in the foxholes of life.  We can rejoice, for we don’t have to live crippled, wounded, damaged lives! God is here to set us free from what others do to us, or from what we’ve done to ourselves.

Are you nursing your wounds this morning? Have you been hit by another’s shrapnel and find it hard to walk in the light of God’s Word? Someone may have said you were damaged goods - weak, sick, wrong, bad, unlovable, useless, hopeless, beyond fixing.

Oh beloved, don't give up! Don’t believe a word of it! For God Himself has come in and made you a new creation. He forgives ALL your mistakes, bandages ALL your wounds and redeems ALL your life! He says to you this morning, Fear not! For I AM with you! Be not dismayed! I AM your God. I AM going to strengthen you. I AM going to help you.  I AM going to hold you up and give you victory and justice. I love you always, I will care for you forever and I AM your reason to get up, move on and live by faith!

You don’t have to languish in the damage inflicted, but rather flourish in the love and care of the God Who sees and heals and delivers and works out everything in your life for your good and His glory!!!!

Romans 8:34 Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 142:4-5  I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.  Then I pray to you, O Lord.  I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.”

Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that …all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. [Amplified]

Psalm 34:5,18 Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.