Changed and Perfected in Jesus Christ

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  -II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 

My father used to drive around looking for old pieces of wood furniture, preferably antique, and he would get them either for nothing or very cheap.  Dad would then strip them down and refinish those pieces of furniture, and I have to say that he always did a beautiful job.  Often the table, or end table, or coffee table was unrecognizable to its former state.  I recall the table he brought home when I was a young teenager.  It was an antique round oak table and was such a wreck that I doubted whether it could ever be restored.  However, my father did such a good job that when he was finished the table was nearly unrecognizable to its former state.  That one they kept and it is still in use in their home.  This is what Jesus Christ does with us.  He loves us, forgives us, cleans us up, strips us down, and refinishes us to divine perfection.  Those spots and blemishes of sin are washed away by the precious blood of Christ which was shed for us on the cross of Calvary. 

We are to always be in the process of being perfected, and we are always to be edifying the body of Christ, which is the church.  Are we up to that task and are we doing this work diligently?  If not we must step up to the plate and get busy.  Jesus Christ is in the re-finishing work of people, and we are to be at the forefront of this work. 

Because we have been blessed with such grace and value to God, we realize this truth and we are encouraged by it.  The Lord has not called us to quit, but to go forward doing the work of the ministry.  We are called to be the light of Jesus Christ shining in the world.  That light shines brightest when we walk in truth, holiness, and humility.  When that happens the light cannot be extinguished and will be seen by the world.