This morning, we’re

beginning a new message series entitled “Reclaimed” which is all

about becoming who you were created to be. 

This series begins our focus on the work of the Holy Spirit and His

ministry, the third core value of New Hope.

According to the

Merriam-Webster dictionary, to reclaim is to rescue from an undesirable state.

It is amazing to

watch someone take what appears to be little more than a pile of rust found

behind a farmer’s field and work to restore it to its original condition

looking and driving like a floor-model muscle car.

It gives us a sense

of awe to watch someone pick up a worthless item from a yard sale and repurpose

it to become a highly sought after, new and unique object.

Anyone who has ever

watched Chip and Joanna Gaines on HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” are well aware

of how old, weathered barn wood can be reclaimed to become shiplap ready to

bring beauty to any home regardless of its age and style.

These acts reflect

the creative ability, gracious heart, and passionate desire of God as were

created in His image.  God is ready and

willing to take any life, no matter how broken or run-down or undervalued it

may be, reclaim it, and do something beautiful and amazing both to it and

through it.

1 Corinthians 1:26-30 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

The human life being

reclaimed is the most awesome miracle to experience!

1 Tim 1:15 (ISV)

This is a

trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance:

To this world Christ

Jesus came,

sinful people to

reclaim.

God places a value

on our lives not by who we are now, but who He created us to be.  Becoming the person that He had in mind when

we were created is the process of being reclaimed.

The starting point

of any reclamation project begins with redemption.

Before I can restore

a car back to its original condition or repurpose an old wire spool into a

stylish coffee table or tear apart a barn to reuse it’s wood, I first must have

possession of that item.  If I do not already

own the item, I must redeem it.

To redeem an item,

myself and the owner must come to an agreement on the value of the item.  If you’ve ever been to an auction or watched

shows such as ‘American Pickers’, you’re well aware that even this can be a process

in and of itself.

Some owners place a

value on an item far too great due to greedy selfishness or because of

sentimental emotions attached to that item. 

Others joyfully part ways with their belongings for a low cost simply

because they value getting rid of what they view as nothing more than junk.

Once a value is

agreed upon by the owner and buyer, an exchange is made.  Usually this involves paying money for an

item.  However, the good old barter

system is still quite effective as well. 

This involves either trading an item for another item or some type of

service in order to gain possession of an item. 

This exchange is

known as redemption.  The item was

redeemed by the buyer.

A more common

example is a coupon.  When I hand over a

coupon or use my member card or scan my phone, those coupons are assigned a

value.  I buy a $4 box of cereal, but

because I have a coupon for 50 cents off, I only have to pay $3.50 for that

cereal.  The store redeems the coupon for

the agreed upon value of 50 cents.

Now redemption

carries a larger meaning as well, but it begins with valuing that item and

paying the price for it.