A thing of beauty

Let me ask you a question today: What has become irrevocable in your life? What is it in your life that you absolutely know is "unalterable"? There are likely a good many who would say it is the crook in our nose, the moon-surface shape our cellulite creates over our body, or the whiteness of our teeth. Another group might make mention of the bad reputation they have come to acquire over the years, or the lack of any real reputation at all. There are a whole lot of things, occurrences, and "issues" we'd like to label as 'irrevocable' in our lives - unalterable facts, things not easily repealed, or with 'no appeal' left to be made. In Christ, there are certain facts that are truthfully 'irrevocable' - like the fact he loves us, or the fact his grace is sufficient for everything we think is 'irrevocable'!

The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

We each have a 'long and sorry record' as sinners, but the good news is that what we have no way of changing ourselves is not beyond changing when Christ is given access to those things. Nothing about our sin nature is 'irrevocable' - nothing we have done is too great for his blood to make a way for our cleansing (our 'being made right'). Something irrevocable is permanent - our sin is not permanent when it comes into contact with the blood of Jesus. It isn't that we get it 'annulled' - it is that we get it totally and completely taken away. Unlike the one who wants whiter teeth and must go back time and time again to have them bleached, the blood of Christ does the job the first time and it just keeps on doing the job!

Whatever has become a 'constant' in your life that you don't see any way out of is not really the same thing as God sees as the 'constant' he wants to portray in your life. No reputation - good or bad - is constant when he comes into the picture. No blemish or scar - real or imagined - is unalterable in his hand. He hasn't labeled us a certain way and then left us in that condition. He provides a way for any 'negative condition' to be transformed by the power of Christ. We want to label a whole lot of things as 'unalterable' in our lives, but the only thing truthfully unalterable is the truth of God. The only thing that transforms time after time is this truth. We might perceive the 'issue' as not able to be changed, but God sees a way even when we don't. 

Some things we 'want' to change are superficial - like the crook in our nose or the cellulite on our thighs. The things God sees as 'worth the worry' are our heart, mind, soul, and spirit. Don't sweat the small stuff - they might annoy us a little - but God sees a thing of beauty even in the dimples of our thighs! Just sayin!