DISPOSABLE (OR NOT!)

Many things we deal with in today’s society are disposable. With most things being mass-produced, it is often cheaper or more efficient to simply replace something that has broken or become worn out. While those who lived though the great depression often saw things differently, we hardly give a thought to throwing something away. Case in point—a pair of my shoes. Just before the beginning of this week’s deacons meeting, the sole on one of my shoes separated from the upper part. My initial thought was something to the effect of … there goes another pair of shoes. However, Pastor Mead had another thought when he saw it … he saw something he could fix with the help of some “Shoe Goo.” He took the shoe home with him, and I suspect that I’ll have it back (and wearable) by the time you are reading this.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, I, for one, am thankful that God does not see us as I saw my shoe … we are not disposable. The Cathedrals sang a song entitled, “He Didn’t Throw The Clay Away.” Take a look at the first verse:

Empty and broken, I came back to Him,
A vessel unworthy, so scarred from sin.
But He did not despair...He started over again
And I bless the day, He didn't throw the clay away.

As Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” At any point, God would have been justified in throwing any or all of us sinners away. But, Instead of giving up those He would call His children, God continues to shape and reshape us. Praise God for that! As the old hymn says, “Redeemed - how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am. (Redeemed, by Fanny Crosby)

In His grip,
Pastor Decker