Be 'Re-Purposed'

When we were shopping for a house in Texas, our realtor frequently used a term that we had never heard before.  The term was “re-purpose”.  She would say things like, “If you don’t like that light fixture in the foyer, you can ‘re-purpose’ it in another room where it will be less conspicuous.”  Re-purposing simply means to use the something in a different place or in a different way than it had previously been used.  The thing doesn’t change, but the way you use it changes.  I must confess that I am more of a ‘chucker’ than a re-purposer.  If I don’t like the light fixture in the hallway, I’m not going to like it in a spare bedroom either, so I’ll chuck it and get a new one.  

I thank God that He’s a re-purposer and not a chucker.  Like many of you, I came to faith as an adult.  I went to church as a kid, and I believed in God, but I didn’t understand the gospel.  As a teenager I left the church, became an atheist, and stopped going to church.  It was a full 20 years before God got my attention again and gave me grace to see that Jesus became a man to live a perfect life and to die for my sins.  God raised Jesus from the dead to show that He has power over death.  I understood that to be raised to eternal life, all I needed to do was to trust in Jesus alone for my salvation.  So I did.  

Every Christian’s story is basically the same. The details differ, but the theme is that God first redeems your life. He shows you the beauty of Jesus and His sacrifice and you believe.  That’s your salvation.  Salvation is not ‘hell insurance’ as a pastor friend of says.  Salvation does save us from the wrath of God and eternity in hell, but it’s so much more than that.  John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”  Notice the use of the present tense.  He who believes ‘has’ eternal life now.  Your eternity does not begin at your death.  It’s already begun.  Once you are saved, God invites you to re-purpose your life for better, more productive use.  2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  We’re the same and yet not the same.  Somehow we are made new, ‘re-purposed’ and called to serve Him in a new way.  

So the question is, how are you spending your eternity today? This life is not a waiting room that we merely occupy before we enter eternity.  This life is our daily opportunity to show our love and appreciation for the salvation that God has freely provided to us by serving Him. God wants you to re-purpose your life to further His kingdom.  What are you good at?  What do you enjoy doing?   Re-purpose yourself so that you use your gifts for the glory of God.  All you have to do is to ask God to show you where He wants to use you.  Notice that you have a choice.  God has made you into something new, but it’s up to you if you will allow Him to use you. 

It’s so easy to let days, months and years pass without ever attempting something great for God.  But if you’re not willing to risk anything for God, you won’t accomplish anything great for Him either.  It’s easy to settle for a comfortable life.  It’s in my nature and yours to seek comfort.  But God didn’t save us to make us comfortable.  He saved us so that we would live re-purposed lives, showing the love of Jesus Christ to whoever we can, however we can.  I need to remind myself of this every day because it is so easy to choose comfort and convenience over serving others.  As Andy Dufresne famously said in The Shawshank Redemption, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin.”  I pray that we would all use choose to use the precious time and resources that God has given us to get busy living as redeemed and re-purposed instruments for His kingdom and His glory.