I was driving home after spending a good part of the day working. I had taken the Suncoast Expressway to go home like I normally do. They were working on the road and I could see farther up where it went to one lane. As I got to the place where we merge, about 5 cars up I see these 2 ladies in the left lane trying to merge. Just as they are trying to move over this guy in another truck, speeds up to block them from getting in front of them.
I had my window down and from 5 cars back I hear a man’s voice yell, “That’s not very Christian of you”. Since it was a man’s voice I have no idea what the lady’s did or said to him but it made me think. Who says, “That’s not very Christian of you?”
I pondered this all the way home. I was really perplexed about this comment. Since it was the man who yelled it and he actually cut them off, she must have done something....not very Christian. Was it very Christian of him to yell this?
Have you ever seen a program called “Extreme Makeover.” It’s where they take these people who aren’t happy with the way they look, and through a series of operations, cosmetic surgery, dental work, liposuction, hair changes, and other things I won’t mention, they are transformed into a beautiful person.
That, of course is why they called it “Extreme Makeover.”
But the bottom line was these people who have had extreme makeovers were not happy with themselves because of the way they looked. They had defects they wanted to remove or cover up. They had flaws they were ashamed of. And they went through intense pain to correct or hide their blemishes.
The fact is, almost everyone has some flaw or blemish they would change if given the chance to do so. But did you know that God is in the business of giving extreme makeovers? He may not fix your nose, or give you pretty white teeth, or remove your wrinkles, but the Bible says, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
I watched one of those makeover shows for the first time about a week ago. I saw them transform someone from the old way they looked into a new look. It’s was amazing to look at the before and after pictures and see the drastic or extreme change that had taken place.
It’s also amazing how God can take an old sinner who is rotten to the core, lived in the pits of sin, wasted his or her life in the cesspool of iniquity, and change them into a delightful child of God.
There was a woman of Samaria who needed an extreme makeover. Her life was a total mess. She had lost all respectability among her neighbors. She was the talk of the town. People avoided speaking to her.
In the eyes of society she was an outcast. She had gone through five failed marriages and the man she was shacking up with now was not her husband. She was a good candidate for an extreme makeover!
One day the master of extreme makeovers came by her town and she was chosen. Jesus gave her something called “living water” and it changed her life forever. She ran into town and began to tell people about her extreme makeover.
I would like to think she regained her self-respect. She now had self-esteem. She had a new look on her face and a new spring in her step. She now had joy instead of sadness, and peace instead of fear. She had forgiveness in the place of condemnation. Yes, she had an extreme makeover at a well outside of Samaria.
There was someone else in the Bible who had an extreme makeover. His life was a total mess also. His life was in shambles. He had lost his family and friends. He no longer could live a life of happiness and peace. For you see he had become possessed by demons and they literally tore his life to pieces.
You could probably hear the screams of this poor man for he was tormented by these demons day and night. He was a candidate for an extreme makeover in the worst kind of way.
One day the extreme makeover master passed by.
It only took Jesus a few seconds to change that good ole boy’s life. He cast out the demons and restored his mind. The townsfolk could hardly believe their eyes when they saw this man worshipping at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.
He could now call this old friends and say, “Look at me, I’m not the man I used to be.”
“Don’t be afraid of me anymore, I’ve had an extreme makeover, I’m not like I used to be.”
I have good news for you; Jesus is still in the business of doing extreme makeovers. You don’t have to stand in line. You don’t have to worry about not getting chosen. You are invited anytime to come let Jesus do a work in your life. NO ONE is a hopeless case.
God can take the lowest; the roughest; the meanest; most contemptible; most despicable sinner and change his or her life in the most positive way. God can make a complete change in your life. Your friends will know it, your neighbors will know it, and your co-workers will see a change in your life.
Let them say, “That’s very Christian of you” instead of “not very Christian of you”!
God is into “Extreme Makeovers”!!!
A friend of mine calls her readers, GEMS. I love this perspective! I’m going to take this one step further. God has picked you, your GEM (Godly Extreme Makeover) is waiting. Have you or will you accept it? I think you should!
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