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. Isaiah 64:8
Not so long ago, I was driving down a bumpy county road when I spotted a bag of cement that apparently had fallen off a delivery truck when it hit a bump in the rough road.
Not wanting to see anything wasted, I stopped to pick the bag up. When I bent down to heft the 50-lb. bag, I about broke my back.
The bag's contents were no longer soft and powdery. Recent rain had penetrated the bag and solidified the contents into one solid block of super-heavy cement.
In the course of my life, I've met a lot of people who have become like that bag of cement.
According to God's plan they were originally designed to be shaped into something beautiful and useful. Then, because of situation and sin they had slowly, and so very surely, become hardened and inflexible. Their lives had become an unhappy lump alongside the road.
That is not what the Lord wishes for you. He doesn't want your life to become like a hardened bag of cement.
If so, there is still room for you to be changed and enjoy the contentment which Jesus so freely wishes to bestow.
You are different than that bag.
You see, cement, once it's hardened, can't be reworked. You, as one of God's children, can always be changed by His guiding hand. Today can be different than yesterday.
God wants to fill your day with joy -- the joy of sins forgiven, the joy of possibilities, the joy which comes from having Jesus at your side.
By the miracle of His love, He can transform your life so it has a wonderful purpose. When that happens, both you and He will be glad.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I give thanks Jesus has forgiven my sins and transformed my life. In the moments where I feel myself getting hardened by the darkness of our days, I pray You would remind me of the love Jesus has given. In His Name I pray this. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 20-21 Psalms 34 Luke 21:20-38
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