Extreme Life Makeover

I love the start of a new month. Back when we lived in Minnesota, we always celebrated May 1st –or “May Day” – by giving neighbors fresh flowers. May 1st was special because it was symbolically the start of spring in the Midwest. But I live in Florida now, and almost every day is like spring or summer, so I have grown used to celebrating the first day of every month like it’s May Day. So Happy March Day. Welcome to a new month!

Speaking of new things, Martha and I just threw a fresh coat of paint on the outside of our house, along with a new blanket of mulch. Of course, it’s still the same old house, with the same old dirt in front of it; it just has a fresh outer coating.

Sometimes people think this is what becoming a Christ-follower is like: a new coat of paint on life – Christian coral or Believer blue or Salvation salmon. A pretty coating of religious behavior. But that is like putting makeup on a pig (no offense to pigs.) When you surrender to Jesus, He starts building a new you from the ground up! Yes, He uses your existing DNA, but everything that matters about you is changing. It’s more like taking an old house down to the studs and rebuilding it than like a coat of paint. We don’t add a new outside veneer; rather, we become new from the inside all the way to the outside.

Hebrews 3:4,6b says, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything…. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” 

When you see a house being extensively remodeled, your curiosity gets piqued – if it didn’t, HGTV wouldn’t be so popular. Likewise, when you live out the process of becoming a new person in front of those you work with, they get to see God doing His best work, taking you from who you are to who He created you to be, right before their eyes! I have no doubt that my co-workers from the ’80s and ’90s wouldn’t recognize the 2021 Jim Brangenberg. God has been working overtime on me for decades! They would probably recognize the have-to-be-funny and busy-all-the-time Jim, but they would also see that many of my rough edges have become smooth edges. They would notice that I’ve fundamentally changed in many ways, and it would probably pique their curiosity.

So, what about you? Are you just putting on a fresh paint job, or are you allowing God to do a full restoration? The paint is nice, but if you paint over mold, mildew, and a cracked foundation, eventually, all the ugly comes back. But if you allow Jesus to start fresh with you today, He will renovate you from the inside out! Surrender to the Master rebuilder; you won’t regret it.

Jim

To dig deeper and allow God to work on your full restoration find a favorite podcast on www.AwakenPodcastNetwork.com

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!