Under Construction

Isaiah 43:19
"Forget about what's happened, don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new (MSG). 


You know the children of Israel were having a difficult time. They are in exile, stripped of their lands, and their homes.  The Babylonian empire has take over. They are in a place where they feel like there is no more hope.  No reason for living, just down and out.  A song writer once said, "I've been down so long, that I know believe that down is the best place for me".  Have mercy! Man, I'm so sorry that it can get that bad, that life can suddenly take a turn, and you feel like those SouthWest airline commercials, "Wanna Get Away".  Truth be told, is really not that easy.  It's really not that easy to jump in a pseudo-type plane and fly away from all your problems.  If that were the case, I probably wouldn't be writing this little devotion right now.  


But if you would just look at this text, and put yourself in it, and picture your existential situation right now...Picture your life, picture your hang ups, picture your mistakes, picture your community, put everything in that text and make it yours....Let me help you....


Forget about what's happened Pastor Jaime, don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new...put your name in it


Forget about what's happened ______________________ don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.


Praise God that He's doing something Brand New. Have you ever noticed construction sites? Have you ever stopped at looked it for a second? It's really not a beautiful sight to behold. There are a lot of rocks, gravel, trucks, and dirt all over the place, but at least you know that when you look at it, it's not a finished product.  There's a sign that says "Under Construction" and then there is a picture of what it it's going to look like when it's finished.  


God isn't finished with you yet, you may be finished, but God's gotta work to do. Just remember that you are under construction.  I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I'm under construction.  I don't have everything that I want, but I'm under construction.  I don't look the way I want to, but I'm under construction, because God is doing something Brand New....that should be our motto for this year, and the year coming...I being made new, because God is doing something Brand New for me...


Be Made NEW!!!
2 Cor. 5:17

S.M.A.R.T.

I never thought that it would happen, but it did. I'm always saying that these are the best computers on the planet, but believe it or not, even the best messes up every now and then. The hard drive on my iMac failed, it's good thing that I just bought an external hard drive to back everything up, so thanks be to God that everything isn't lost.

You're probably wondering why in the world am I telling you this, but whoever built my computer programmed it in such a way that when the hard drive is about to fail, it will send you an alert so that you can take the proper steps to back it up, before you get rid of it.  The name of the technology is called S.M.A.R.T it stands for "Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology".  Apparently SMART told me that this hard drive can't be repaired, but I need to go see a specialist immediately.  


It dawned on me that there are a lot of us out there walking around, and our hard drives are about to fail, shut down, and collapse.  Did you realize that God gave you your own S.M.A.R.T system...it's called the Holy Spirit.  Constantly the Holy Spirit is telling us that our hard drive is about to fail, and you need another one.  


You know what David found himself with a hard drive failure, and he was in desperate need of a new one.  Psalm 51:10 says, Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me...Check that, I love how The Message by Eugene Patterson puts it....God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 


I love it...make a Genesis in me...a fresh start, the origin and formation of something new because my hard drive is failing...my hard drive is making me do things that I know displeases you. Who am I talking to through this blog? Are you having a chaotic moment in your life? When you look back, at all the stuff that you've been through, that's not through with you leaving you in a state of paralysis?  Then you need a new hard drive, not just simply erasing it, but a whole new one all together. 


I guess you can say S.M.A.R.T stands for Start Making A Real Transformation....that best I could come up with, maybe you can think of one that will be better. To be honest it would be really "SMART" if you turn to God....Right NOW!!!


Be Made NEW!!!