Pastor’s Corner: “Repurposed”
Philippians 2:13 (NIV) – 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
There is a lot of interest and energy lately around the concept of repurposing. I confess that I watch a lot of home improvement shows and they are always repurposing old crates into rustic coffee tables or making bookshelves out of old school lockers, and things like that. In the art world, there are many artists who create interesting art pieces from old-fashioned kitchen utensils, tins, banks and toys found at flea markets or antique stores.
The concept of repurposing came to my mind recently when I read the story again in Scripture of the conversion of Saul to Paul. Here was a man who was zealous in his persecution of Christians. But God repurposed this man’s zealousness to promote the Gospel message instead. This story helps us realize that God can do dramatic things with what is put before him. Like a craftsman at a workbench with various pieces laid out, God can create something beautiful and unexpected from the most random and unexpected of things. This includes us.
The definition of repurpose: To give a new purpose or use….To change something so that it can be used for a different purpose. Just like God transformed and repurposed Saul to Paul, this is what God does for us when He saves us. He cleans us up and gives us new purpose. He wants to develop in us our potential, our purpose, and put us in a better place. This sounds great! It IS great. But what about when you’ve been serving God for a long time? We can begin to feel a little wear and tear….we can even begin to question our usefulness.
Everyone goes through seasons in life: when one season ends, we can feel like our purpose and usefulness is ending as well. Ecclesiastes 3:1 – To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. We can begin to talk ourselves right out the next season God wants to prepare us for. Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) – 21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. God has plans for our entire life. OUR PURPOSE MAY CHANGE, BUT OUR USEFULNESS IS NEVER OVER!
God even repurposes our problems. In the story of Joseph, He was tossed into a pit by his envious brothers and almost left to die, and eventually, he was wrongly put in prison in a foreign land. Joseph could have become bitter. But many years later, he told his brothers in Genesis 50:20 (NLT) – 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Think of the disappointing or bad things that have happened to you. Be comforted by this: God did not take His hands off the wheel of your life for a nanosecond. From start to finish, everything followed God’s plan for you. This means your trials have much more meaning than you realize. Your problems have more purpose than you can imagine. Not because God merely uses bad things, but because God intends them so others might be introduced to Jesus through your example. What a high calling that is!
God wants to repurpose our lives…..not once…..but continually: from glory to glory! As long you as you have breath in your body, know that God has a purpose and a plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) – 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In our lives, we may be struggling with our purpose. It may be time to go to God in prayer and say “Repurpose me! Use me, use my struggles in a way I haven’t thought of or been aware of that I may live more fully as a follower of Christ.” God will open your eyes to new opportunities. As he says in the Bible: Isaiah 43:19 – “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. God will help something spring to mind that you may perceive it, and he has the power to redirect your efforts in a way that is more energizing and meaningful to you and your life of faith in Christ.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton