Issue 939 – Broken – December 20, 2022
This brick has been badly broken. It isn’t much use for anything other than fill. It no longer has any value.
People are broken as well. We are sinners by nature and choice and live in a broken world. We can no more redeem ourselves under our power than this brick can glue itself back together. Fortunately, Christ offers us the gift of forgiveness and salvation by His grace through faith alone.
Still, even as believers, we can fail, sometimes in spectacular ways. The Scriptures are full of accounts of people who love the Lord but still stumble and fall. Even the disciples managed to do so.
John-Mark, the same Mark who wrote the gospels, ran away naked from the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52). he also bailed partway through a mission trip with Paul (Acts 15:37-39).
Simon Peter dropped the ball repeatedly. He rebuked Jesus (Matthew 16:21-27) and cut the ear off of Malchus, the high priest’s servant (John 18:10).
Peter denied the Lord three times (in all four gospels). While on a missions journey, he reverts to his Jewish legalistic roots and refuses to eat with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-14).
If the men who sat at the feet of Jesus and followed Him daily could stumble like that, what hope do we have?
Our hope comes in the power of Jesus and His steadfast faithfulness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
He promises to complete His work in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Philippians 1:6
We are being conformed into His image.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30
The Lord has sealed us with His Spirit.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
We are held safely in the Father’s hands.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:28-29
When you stumble and fall (and you will), pick yourself up and turn to our Lord in humble repentance.
He won’t abandon you like a broken brick. You haven’t lost your usefulness to the King.
Trust in Him to accomplish His plans for you and through you, and Praise His name.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
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Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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