Recycled

You may wonder at my choice for the title of this blog, "A Broken Vessel."  For anyone who likes to recycle, broken items usually can find another use.  Can I let you in on a little secret?  Recycling originated with God!  You see, He not only created me, but when I became useless, dented, scuffed and broken because of sin, not fit to be of any use in the original design I was created in...He recycled me!  I don't resemble His original design, but I'm usable again for Him...I have a purpose.

Psalms 40:2&3 "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, (the earth's garbage dump) and set my feet upon a rock (The Lord Jesus Christ) and established my goings. (recycled me) And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God;  many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (a new purpose)

You might be thinking to yourself, "Well you don't know the kind of life I've had, what I've done, what's been done to me.  I'll never be fit for God."  Let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am a domestic violence survivor.  I lived for 23 years in a very abusive marriage.  As a teen I was molested; I was also beaten by a boyfriend, and I was raped.  Six years ago I was a broken
woman at the point of suicide.  I was not fit for God, and there was no way that I could make
myself fit for Him.  But God can see the potential beauty in the broken.  He specializes in
putting the broken back together again.  I had to come to the place that the Psalmist David
did when he penned the following in Psalms 31:10&12.

"For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing;  my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.  I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:  I am like A BROKEN VESSEL."

When God's love and forgiveness is applied to our repentant broken hearts we are made anew, recycled, ready to be used to glorify our Heavenly Father!

ll Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

I was a broken, discarded, worthless vessel;  but now I've been recycled and put into service for the Lord ~ how wonderful is that!

I was once far away from the Savior,

And as vile as a sinner can be;

And I wondered if Christ the Redeemer

Could save a poor sinner like me.

Could save a poor sinner like me,

Could save a poor sinner like me.

And I wondered if Christ the Redeemer,

Could save a poor sinner like me.

 

As I wandered alone in the shadows,

Thru the darkness the cross I could see;

And I found that by trusting in Jesus,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

There's hope for a sinner like me,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

And I found that by trusting in Jesus,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

 

Now I've trusted His blood for redemption,

And I've tasted salvation so free;

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer has power

To save a poor sinner like me.

To save a poor sinner like me,

To save a poor sinner like me.

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer has power,

To save a poor sinner like me.

 

                                                        C. J. Butler