Free Printable: The Old has Gone, the New Has Come

You all know that I like to give things makeovers. I like to take the hideous, the unwanted, the tarnished, and make them pretty again. I drag them off of the curb and give them new life.

It recently occurred to me that Jesus does the same thing. But his area of refinishing is better than lamps and dressers: he refinishes people. You and me. Every day.

I get excited when the Lord makes something clear to me in terms that match my interests and gifts. Because just like me and my thrift store rejects, He takes the unlovable, the outcast, the stained, the broken…and He makes them new. The song “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” by Casting Crowns has cut straight to my soul lately, and one of the verses in the song says, “You love every lost cause. You reach for the outcast, for the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came. Lord, I was that lost cause, and I was the outcast. But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet.”

I won’t try to say it better than that.

The word “redeemed” means “bought or paid off; cleared by payment.” It might be cliché, but it’s true: Jesus paid the debt He didn’t owe, so that we could be made new and unblemished in His name.

I read an article by Ron Hutchcraft last week about a young boy who was trying to move a big rock, tugging and shoving, but to no avail. He went to his father and said, “I’ve tried everything!” to which his father responded: “No, you haven’t. You haven’t tried me.”

Well when you put it that way.

God moves rocks. God moves mountains. God can weed out the old and the ugly so that the new can take root and blossom, when we are willing to fully give those rocks to him.

If you would like this print for you or someone you know, I would love to share it. And if the colors above don’t rock your socks off, no worries: I made about a million three other colors, too. (I blame it on having the summer off.) Just go here and send me a message with the color(s) you want, or mention it in a comment. I’ll gladly send the PDF of the file(s) to you via email. Please don’t be shy! I still occasionally get email requests for these printable scripture cards, which I think is so, so cool.

1) coral/chartreuse; 2) aqua/red; 3) green/blue; 4) orange/teal; 5) pink/orange; 6) purple/aqua

I’d also like to extend an open invitation for prayer. Just email me. Recently, I’ve started a goal of praying for 10 people before I fall asleep at night. Sometimes I make it though all 10, and sometimes I don’t, but I have been, in those 10, praying for several bloggy friends who are dealing with “big rocks.” I know that God wants me to use the relationships I’ve established through this blog for His purposes, not mine. So again: please don’t be shy. It would truly be a blessing to me to be able to pray for you, and it doesn’t even have to be about anything specific if you aren’t comfortable sharing details.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

I hope you all have a great weekend!

*Linking to Serenity Now and Tater Tots & Jello!*