Polished and Ready for Display

Sometimes I have songs that run through my head for no apparent reason. I find myself humming them or singing them in my head on repeat. (Annoyingly so!) Lately, "The Great Adventure" from Steven Curtis Chapman and "This is Me" from the movie The Greatest Showman have been taking turns consuming my head space. Most times, I write off these ear worms. But these songs kept coming back to me with a conscience awareness from the Lord to pay attention to them. (Yes, God will use Christian and secular songs to speak to me. ;) God can use anything! :)

After a couple weeks of not being able to shake these tunes, I broke down and listened to both songs, paying attention to what He was saying. And in this case, it was kind of a no-brainer. (Though, I did have to weed through the secular message of the song "This is Me" to hear the filtered message God was trying to relay to me.)

I believe what He was saying, though, is not just for me but for other Believers, too. I believe He is saying that He is calling us out from being hidden and getting ready to showcase us. He is polishing us, like a trophy that is about to be displayed, and prepping us for the world to see. This could mean in a very small sense like to our family, friends, and neighbors. Or in a grander sense like uh... the world. lol It really doesn't matter to what extent. The point is, He is challenging us to come with Him wherever He leads (big or small) in His Great Adventure and to not be ashamed to be who we are -- who He has created us to be!

If you've been a believer for any amount of time, you know He has done life-altering things in you. And for some of us who have been walking with Him for decades, we know He has put a lot of work into us! We have been like a model car that has been tweaked and cared for day after day by its proud owner. Some of us, though, might have felt like the model car that has gotten more garage time, than road time. We have been tucked away and kept from the public eye. But He is saying, "No longer!" He is ready to show us off! And not because of what we can do in our own abilities, but to show off all the work He has put into us -- showing Himself off through us!

It makes me remember the day I was at the beach in Ocean City, NJ, a couple years ago. They were having their Porsche Day (Boardwalk Reunion) where Porsche owners from all around came and drove their cars down the boardwalk, proudly and confidently -- showing off all the work and care they put into them. 

Do you think even one of them looked embarrassed to be with his car? lol Of course not! Ya know, I didn't see even one ashamed driver. And in the same way, God is not ashamed of us or ashamed to show us off! 

The thing is!... He is looking to win the hearts of the lost! And He wants to show us off so that people can plainly see just how wonderful and loving and powerful He really is! He is wanting to show them what kind of "car owner" (Father!) He really is! People will look and say, "What a nice 'car'! It must be well-cared for. I wish I had that kind of care..." He will use the beauty, testimony, voice, and hands and feet of His magnificent Bride to draw people to Himself.

We are His masterpiece! His workmanship! We are His prized possession! And He will not be silent about it! He wants the world to know that He loves and loves well -- loves excellently, in fact! So don't be ashamed to be who God is in you and to let the world know how GOOD He has been to you! And never be afraid to say "YES!" to His great adventure!

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.2.1-10.NLT