Friends,

As many of you know, the LePere family spent the better part of last week in Orlando, FL visiting Mickey Mouse and his friends.  After 33 ½ hours in the family truckster and covering 1800 miles, I’m happy to say we had a great week and are still getting along for the most part!

There are so many things I could share about our trip, but for this Reflexions I want to talk about Nathan buying a clock.  But not just any clock…he bought a genuine Disney Mickey Mouse clock for $12.95, with his own money I might add.

As we were unpacking, we opened up the box for the clock and set it up.  With the instructions there was also a paper with their one year limited warranty.  The instructions on the warranty tell you that if the clock ceases to work properly to send the clock, sales receipt, and a check to cover handling, postage, and insurance charges.  Check amount?  You guessed it…$12.95 (see previous paragraph).  Now, they tell you this is not a repair charge, and that they reserve the right to either refund or replace the clock.  Some warranty, right?  Send in the cost of the original, and we’ll replace it for you!

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

Because of the sin in our lives, we are broken.  Confronted by the righteous judgment of God, we are fractured individuals, beaten and broken each time we disobey the commands of God.  Surely, if God wanted to, He could just discard and abandon us the first time we disobey Him and take His love and care from us and pass it on to someone else.  As the sovereign Lord, He could very easily replace us whenever we are broken beyond His tolerance level.

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you and I are offered the opportunity to be repaired, renewed, reborn, and remade in the image of Christ.  Through Christ we may stand before God unblemished (Jude 24), washed in the blood of the Cross (Revelation 7:14), sanctified and cleansed through our Savior (Titus 3:5).  Instead of tossing us out and replacing us, God’s desire and grace is to redeem and repair His creation time and time again.

Do you get that?  In a world where the majority of our stuff is considered too easily disposable, God never throws out or discards those made in His own image.  Read the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32) or consider the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43).  Heck, just read the Gospels!  Time and time again, we see Jesus reach out to the discarded people of society and show them how through the power of faith they can be transformed and remade.

So what about you?  How are you broken?  Would God be justified in just tossing you out and starting over with someone else?  Ever felt like He should do that?

Thankfully, God does not work that way.

No, instead, He desires to repair you.  Time and time again…over and over…through the power of Christ in your life you can have your life put back together.  You may not feel like you are worth much, but to God…you are priceless.

See you soon!

Pastor Bryon

Tags: broken, bryon, forgiveness, grace, renewal, repair