The Original Extreme Makeover

Have you ever redone a room? (The change can be pretty drastic.) Or watched one of those “extreme makeover” shows—where they revamp a room, or an entire house?! Most of the time, what was there is given a major facelift so that it barely—if at all—resembles the original. The individuals and families who are on the receiving end of the makeover are ecstatic—they can hardly believe it! It fulfills their heart’s desires, and they are in awe that someone would care enough about all the finest details—the things that are important to them.

I know someone who can do that. But when he does a makeover, the effects are eternally reaching. He doesn’t just make something look different on the surface—he makes it completely new from the inside out. Miraculously, the result is a brand new creation.

His name is Jesus. And in order to receive this makeover, all that is required is that you “believe on” him; for “if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).  Unlike the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, with this makeover your entire household alliance shifts—from the family of Satan to the family of God, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.  John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –…” But what else has changed?

Everything! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation…” (II Corinthians 5:17). He or she receives the Holy Spirit and is completely set free from the chains of sin and death. Life looks different, and desires begin to change—life has new purpose and meaning. Without Jesus, things remain the same—“no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3b).

Just as a living room is often the center of a home, our hearts are the center of our beings—in Ezekiel 36:26, we are told that in this new birth we receive “a new heart” and “a new spirit.” We are changed at our very core. We’re not talking a new couch and love seat—this is a change of eternally epic proportions which, unlike a house and its amenities, profoundly alters our destiny—forever.

In an extreme makeover show, often someone—a philanthropist organization or individual—has donated large sums of money to create a pleasing home environment. In the case of Jesus, no donation could ever match his. He gave his life. And he purchased not just a home for us—he purchased us! In Christ, we are the “extreme makeover.”

Thank you, Jesus, that you make all things new—and that you loved us in the extreme.