The Barn Builder (Old wood, new wood?)

It’s a NEW year! 2022 was also a new year. Are you the same person today that you were on the first day of 2022? Will you be the same on December 31, 2023 that you are today?

Has the year 2022 been a mess? How will you begin and end 2023?

What does God what to do in your life this coming year? What do you want/need God to do in 2023? Did last year start out as a mess and you are in the SAME, or worse, state of disrepair? if so, let’s begin to build again.

What should we rebuild with? “Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually, there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive - but just barely.” 1 Cor. 3:12-15

We are a barn or storehouse built on Christ. We are to build on a sturdy foundation. We cannot build without sturdy planks of wood. Each plank is a part of us. How the planks are added and what they are made of determines our ability to stand firm.

Once we begin, do we build following His blueprints? Maybe our barn from 2022 was never even finished in the first place because we never asked for or used His blueprints in 2022. Will we follow His new blueprints in 2023?

Our God is the tree of life that supplies us with the wood planks to build our barn. The solid planks of God, are His love, goodness, grace, mercy, truth, holiness, unchangeability, sufficiency, ……Those are solid planks!

Where do we get our planks from? What planks have we built our barns with? Disobedience, shame, addictions, compromises, untruths, wealth, fame …. Have we sneaked in “cheap” and rotting planks? Are those rough hewn planks destroying our purpose and making us weak? No wonder our barns are falling down and in disrepair!

When we pray, at the beginning of every year, do we ask him to “fix” our barns and make us stronger and sturdier or do we ask for direction with new blue prints and new planks for a new build?

Ever year, I pray and ask God to make me and my faith stronger. I ask Him to replace the old in my life with the new. I want Him to tear down the old version of me and start over. Allowing Him to rebuild is how I surrender to His blue print for me.

“…bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.” Haggai‬ ‭1‬:8 God is faithful, so He begins by pulling down old planks of rotting wood one at a time. My rusty old beliefs try to stand firm as He yanks off the old wood in my life. It’s painful at times but these old walls must come down. It’s hard to keep my focus and eyes on the builder when all it seems like He is doing is making a bigger mess but He has the ultimate set of blue prints for my life! Once the old is stripped away, He begins the new build. He doesn’t need my help rebuilding the barn, but He wants my help. To help, I am the one who must put in the first action behind His instructions. He will only do what I cannot do. As we are rebuilding, I cannot skip an instruction from Him. I cannot go to the next step if I haven’t done the last step He asked of me. I must be obedient and build the way He tells me to build. He will replace the old with the God-chosen, new planks.

I am trusting God as the architect and the builder in my life. He is in my life to create the barn He wants because the old wood of 2022 and the new barn of 2023 are not compatible. Bring in the new plans! The old planks must go. “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a new future “ Jer. 29:11 If you tear down a barn and rebuild it with the same wood, it would be the same old barn. If it’s the same old barn, it is no longer effective at fulfilling a purpose. Don’t rebuild with the the old blueprint and same old wood.

God has a new set of plans for you. He will rebuild with new wood to adapt us into a new creation and still instill the character of the owner, Christ. The rebuild will be done with His plans and new wood but instill 2022 lessons learned to make the barn as strong as possible.

Don’t look for the blessing of being a bigger, better barn if you still won’t let go of the substandard planks that are not from Him or if you won’t follow His blue print for your life. “By wisdom, a house is built, and through understanding, it is established; through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs 24:3-4 Your barn can be bigger and fuller.

Now, in 2023, I will submit to His plan and allow Him to tear down the old and rebuild with new and then a new barn will be established. “Behold, I will do a new thing.” Isaiah 43:19 The barn will be the legacy storehouse full of God’s faithfulness and His provision. It will be the storehouse for what I sow and harvest and it will be for future generations to see. I will submit to my barn builder.