Pastor’s Corner: “Master Mechanic”
Psalm 103:14 (NKJV) – 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) – 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Occasionally, I like to watch a cable channel which is totally dedicated to auto mechanics. I know practically nothing about cars, but I find these programs fascinating. Each program usually begins with an experienced mechanic finding an old wreck of a classic car who then decides to renovate the whole vehicle and upgrade it into a modern muscle car. The whole process is amazing and I’m absolutely riveted to the screen watching these super mechanics recreate a wonderful new vehicle from scratch.
Sometimes the auto-engineers discover something seriously faulty in the car’s system. An important part may be missing or a wire has been plugged into the wrong place. Occasionally, the original engine has to be stripped clean and taken apart laboriously. As I watch them do this, I often wonder how they will ever get it together again. But at some point, they do what would be impossible for me – they rebuild the engine and the car entirely, so that old wreck becomes a brand-new automobile which anyone would be proud to own or drive.
My wife shakes her head when I watch these shows because she does not understand the appeal. At first I could not explain why I was drawn to these shows but then it hit me. It reminds me of the best part of being in ministry. Watching Jesus change and transform lives! This brings me the greatest joy and never grows old! I love watching Jesus do what I could never do and I am blessed when He sometimes allows me to be His assistant while I hand Him tools as He does His great work. It is amazing to watch!
Jesus is the Master Mechanic! In the midst of brokenness, failures, sin, mistakes, and hurts that we experience in this world, Jesus restores. To restore literally means to bring back, return, and recover, put back in order, and to adjust back together. No matter how wrecked, out-of-date, or neglected one may be, when we allow ourselves to be touched by Jesus and Holy Spirit moves through us, parts start to become reconnected according to God’s original design. The mercy and grace of God is what motivated Jesus to go to the cross, shed His blood, and rise again. It is through the cross and the resurrection that our restoration is possible.
When a factory mechanic builds a truck, he knows the chassis of that truck and knows the load it can carry. In the same way, Jesus knows your frame and He knows the load you can carry. He restores us – we are a work in progress. Jesus began restoring us to wholeness with His first coming and, when He comes again, will complete the good work He began. At the moment of salvation, He gives life to our spirits. Then He works to restore our souls through the process of sanctification, where He progressively transforms us into His image. The final stage will be glorification, when we are given new bodies that never age, suffer illness, or die (Phil. 3:20-21).
Have you ever felt broken beyond repair? What is impossible for us is possible for God. As a matter of fact, Jesus specializes and loves restoring and making beautiful that which the world has thrown away and forgot. Matthew 19:26 (NLT) – 26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Thankfully Jesus came to redeem and restore a shattered world—and He won’t stop until He’s done!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton