A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers

1 Timothy 1:13, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy. . .”  The Scriptures are replete with individuals, who, in spite of their many flaws and failures, God used in an incredible manner.  Noah was a drunk.  Abraham was too old.  Isaac was a liar.  Jacob was a liar.  Leah wasn’t physically attractive.  Joseph was a dreamer.  Moses had a stuttering problem.  Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.  Rahab was a prostitute.  Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.  David had an affair and was a murderer.  Isaiah preached naked.  Jonah ran from God.  Peter denied Christ.  The disciples fell asleep while praying.  Zaccheus was too small.  Paul was too religious.  Lazarus was dead!  Even though these people were filled with imperfections, they allowed God to transform them and use them for His glory.  So often people have the misconception that they first have to straighten out their lives then they will be better able for the Master to use them in His kingdom.  In reality, God desires that we come to Him, just as we are and allow Him to remold us and refashion us into a vessel whereby, He may be glorified.  In our Scripture lesson today, Paul the apostle recounts his days before Christ.  Paul was a very religious person.  His religious zeal drove him to persecute the Church.  He was responsible for the arrest and death of many Christians.  Yet in spite of his past, in his own words, he “obtained mercy.”  Prior to his conversion, Saul of Tarsus (as he was known then), was an unlikely candidate for an apostolic office.  Yet, after he became a Christian, Paul used his same zeal, to plant churches throughout the Roman Empire and win countless souls to Christ.  Today, you may look at your life, with all your flaws and failures, and resign yourself to the fact that the Lord would never be able to use you in His kingdom.  You may be used, but you are not used up.  God’s mercy has proven throughout the ages that He can take you as you are, and not leave you in that state, but change you into a vessel of honor He can use for His eternal purposes with each new day.