Restored for Purpose
Welcome, Friend, and come on up here on this here ol’ front porch and git yourself settled in. I am real happy to see that you’ve done stopped by because I was just watchin’ an ol’ determined little raccoon that kept tryin’ to wash a plastic bottle in the birdbath like it was preparin’ it for a fancy Sunday dinner. It plainly reminded me how we all git to tryin’ to clean up things that were never meant to be useful in the first place while, all the time, the Lord is right over here invitin’ us to let Him clean us so we can be useful for His work. Second Timothy 2:21 says, “If anyone cleanses himself from what does not belong, he becomes a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful to the Master.” That there verse lands real deep when you realize God ain’t lookin’ for not perfect vessels; He just wants ‘em clean and willing.
Paul goes on to say in Second Timothy 2:22 that we should flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. That there’s Bible talk for “run from the mess and chase what makes you holy.” And Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from them. Friend, that there means your usefulness to God starts long before you ever step into ministry. It starts in the quiet places where you let Him scrub away what dulls your shine.
I once knew a farmer who kept old tools in an ol’ shed so dusty you’d plum think a family of owls had been runnin’ a hotel in there. But when he needed a tool, he cleaned it, sharpened it, and put it to work. God does the same with us. He restores what has been sittin’ too long. He polishes what has grown dull. He breathes life into gifts we sho’-‘nuff forgot we had. But He won’t force us out of the barn. We have to willingly step forward and say, “Lord, use me.”
Father, cleanse my heart and make me a vessel You can use. Remove what does not belong and stir up what You placed in me. Help me flee what harms me and pursue what honors You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well now, friend, as this ol’ porch settles into the afternoon quiet like a lazy ol’ hound dog findin’ its favorite patch of shade, let this truth rest with you. God is not lookin’ for the fanciest vessel, just the cleanest one. He can use a cracked pot if it’s surrendered. He can restore whatever has rusted. And He can turn your ordinary life into a very special tool for real extraordinary work if you will simply place yourself in His hands.
With joy,
Gwen
