The Difference Between Cabinets & Christians

​I’m on the hunt for some cabinets. Not new ones, old ones. Kitchen cabinets that have since been deemed unwanted or become unused by their original owners. They’re going to be used in my garage. Even if they’re scratched up or beat down, if the price is right (cheap) I’ll put them to use. I simply want something to better organize the space and hide the clutter. It doesn’t matter to me how fancy or new they look.  Truth be told, the more plain and banged up the better as I would imagine that will make the price that much more of a bargain.  I’ve searched a variety of places thus far to no avail. Facebook marketplace. Slowly driven by yard sales. Perused the Habitat restore in Randolph. Oh there are indeed things out there, but nothing for the lower price point that I’m looking at. They are cabinets after all, nothing worthy of great investment on my part. So because I am not willing to pay a steep price at all, I’ll probably have to wait a bit before I actually find some that will work.
 
Easter Sunday wasn’t that long ago. The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. He is risen indeed, alleluia! This victorious battle cry of that day still rings true. As do these words from the Apostle Paul, “… for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Did you catch that? Paul is reminding the people of the direct implications of Easter. Yes it changed everything; but it also very personal. God bought YOU with a high price. We’re not talking about old, unwanted cabinets anymore. Paul reminds the church of Corinth just how valuable and precious they are in the eyes of the Heavenly Father. Good Friday and Easter showcased the price that the Almighty Creator was willing to pay as the cost for His wayward sheep. Human reason and worldly logic would have turned their backs on selfish, unfaithful and sin-stained people. Like damaged cabinetry, certainly they are not worth such a high price. But not to our Heavenly Father. Instead of deserting us in the dry lands of our self-destructive behavior, He takes action to show there is nothing He wouldn’t do to make things right again. No price He wouldn’t pay. No action He wouldn’t take. 

​“For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:32)  Powerless and ungodly—yikes! Talk about beat-up and not new. Scripture does not paint a flattering picture. But this is our reality. This is what any sale tag would need to display; we are flawed and imperfect. We are certainly not in pristine condition.  To say we are slightly scratched-up and beat down would still be far too generous. In sin, we are broken and beyond self-repair. But our gracious God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He took one look at you and me, with all of our sin and blemishes, and said, “I’ll take them and I’ll spare no expense. These are still my most beloved people. They are my most prized possession. I want them. I’ll pay the price. I’ll fix them. I’ll restore them. They are mine.”
 
Remember back to our Last Words of Jesus during Lent… “It is finished.” When Jesus said these words, it wasn’t just the next step towards His own earthly demise and death. He was also declaring that He was paying the price. The Greek word is tetelestai, when translated it would be akin to a stamp on the bottom of a receipt reading “paid in full”. By the blood of Jesus, God restored our value and worth. In His death and resurrection, He paid the price for our freedom and redemption. He paid the price for YOU. Now we are made new, refurbished and better than ever before. Romans 8:32 tells us as much, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.”  Oh how beautiful and amazing the love God has for us is. Easter continues to reverberate as we see the price God was willing to pay for us.

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