“Behold, I will do something
new, now it springs forth; Will you be aware of it? (Isaiah 43:19). “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creature; the old things are passed away;
behold new things come” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Hey Gang: The bride of my youth
brought this story, found in a 2005 Guidepost, to my attention:
“Above my desk at home is a
picture of a hundred-year-old South Dakota grain elevator. It was sent to me by a friend whose
father-in-law moved it to this property and worked for more than thirty years
to turn it into a beautiful home. It’s
an amazing place that sleeps ten, has a dining car, and a third-floor soda
fountain complete with counter, spinning stools and authentic fixtures.”
As I read that story it brought
back memories, I might add not such pleasant memories, of my senior high school
days when we had terrible sports teams.
Not only were we lousy in basketball, baseball, soccer, but especially
lousy in football. In my last year we
went 0 and 11 and every game was a blow out.
The town fathers, who happened to have several state championships to
their credit, decided to take the bull by the horns and announced there would
be a radical change in the athletic programs.
They had determined that the problem was not a lack of talent, but an
attitude problem. It was determined that
the teams lacked discipline, work ethics and a desire to be winners. In essence they just did not give a hoot if
they won or lost. Well, step one was to
find a coach who would rectify the attitude problem. Without a will to win, there was a definite
lack of discipline to win.
The new coach, who just happened to be a vet who had served in the
Marine Corp in WWII and was a combat veteran, was hired; and on being hired
announced to the world there would be a change!
He listed the new criteria that would qualify each player for the
football team -which was a radical change from the previous coach.
On the day the candidates were to report to the athletic field to try
out for the team, most of the previous players were conspicuous by their
absence. After much recruiting, enough
players were found to make a team. (Keep
in mind, in those days players played offense and defense). We did not do well that year but, by
mid-season, we were gaining and even more competitive; and, miracle of all
miracles, won our last game.
Getting back to the Guidepost story, I can identify with rest of the
story:
“My friend sent me the picture in response to
the anxiety he heard me expressing over the change and uncertainty that came
into my life this past year. He said, ‘Imagine
you are that old elevator. You’ve had a
good life of service holding grain for years.
Then along comes this guy with saws, nails, paint and sandpaper, and plans
to make big changes. I bet you’d want to
say, “Leave me alone! That hurts! I want
to be what I am, not what you want me to be.”
Now guess who the carpenter is in your life?’”
I thank God daily that Jesus
is the carpenter of my life. I know He has dreams for me I can’t even
imagine, but they require some changes in me before He can fulfill them. I’m not nearly as useful to Him without the transformation,
the “new thing” He wants to do. But the
tough part is, unlike the grain elevator, I have a choice! And He’s waiting for me to say, 'yes'!"
I suspect most of you who are reading this epistle this morning now who
that carpenter is. But are you willing
to put yourself on the carpenter’s bench and let the master carpenter design you
into a piece that is even more effective for Him? Have you prayed recently and asked the Lord
to help you see the changes in life as part of Your master design? I am 82 years of age and I pray daily that
God is not finished molding and making me into the image of His Son, Yeshua. Praise God. He ain’t finished with me yet!
Blessings,
Gramps
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