Ever seen an old building that has lost its shine and wondered why someone doesn’t do something about it?
One reason few people do something about it is because starting from scratch is way easier than working with something that has already tried other purposes.
Our church just went the difficult route and renovated an existing building in our community. It was an older building that had started to lose its shine.
In fact, while we were exploring options for a new permanent location we received a call about this building. My first response was no way!
But I had just been praying about this very issue and knew that God has many ways to provide for our needs. So we stopped by to take a look and instantly I was glad I didn’t stick with my initial response. We knew there was potential once we were inside.
Now, every time I pull into our new location I think about what we as Christians call the “gospel.”
Gospel simply means “good news.” So when you read the Gospel of Matthew you are reading the “good news” Matthew told about Jesus.
When Christians say “gospel” we mean the good news about who Jesus is and why He came. We mean the good news that God saw value in us when others didn’t. The good news that God cleans us up and give us a new purpose and a fresh start after we have tried so many other purposes that have left us empty inside.
Just like old empty buildings.
Others may look at you and see your issues but God looks at you and sees your potential.
Our new location bears witness to the fact that not everyone can see what’s really there. And to be transparent there were times I wasn’t completely sure myself.
I told our building team there’s no middle ground on this project. When this is over we will either be heroes or zeros. It was uphill the entire way.
The team was up for the challenge and they’re my heroes for what they accomplished! They never gave up! They never quit!
So if you feel like…
-you’ve lost your shine
-you are unsure about your potential
-you’ve tried other purposes and are left empty
-others have passed you over because of your issues
Remember…
God is completely sure about the potential He sees in you! He is the architect, engineer, and builder all in one and He finishes every thing He starts.
God is still in the resurrection business, not just on Easter but every day of the year! He takes dead things and brings them back to life…dead hopes and dreams, dead marriages, even dead buildings.
No matter what your life looks like right now. No matter how empty you feel or how many purposes you’ve tried God made it possible for you too to have a fresh start.
God sees what is so hard for us to see in ourselves. God sees what others can’t yet see about us. When God finishes everyone will see what God knew all along.
