Not So Perfect

I have some friends from long ago, that are mixed up in an occult religion.  They believe that in order for God to ever be pleased with us, we have to be perfect -- dress perfect, act perfect, breathe perfect!  And, if we think He would ever want to use us, it will only be when we have reached this perfection.  I had a dream last night and in it I was weeping and begging my friends to understand their beauty and their worth in the eyes of God.  My heart was broken at the thought that they felt they could never measure up to being His child.  

We measure up -- but only because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  When we receive His redemption, we immediately become His adopted children, engrafted into Christ!  "God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure,"  Ephesians 1:15, NLT.

Maybe you are reading this and you can relate.  You may not have the same religious beliefs as my friends, but somewhere along the line, you bought the lie that you could never measure up so why even try.  The Bible says, "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our Potter; And all we are the work of Your hand,"  Isaiah 64:8.  You see, we are all a work in progress.  None of us are perfect.  Each of us have flaws that only Jesus can mold, shape and use for His glory.

In my dream, in desperation to help my friends understand His grace towards us,  I compared a new skillet to one I had seasoned and used many times.   I told them that my food came out with so much more flavor in the seasoned skillet than in the perfect, new one.  I also told them that some of my most valuable flower vases, are the ones that were gifts or heirlooms, and with all of their flaws they will always be my favorite to use because they are precious and valuable to me.

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, you are precious and valuable to God -- even with all of your flaws.  It is the pure vessel -- the willing vessel -- the yielded vessel -- that He chooses unto honor, not the perfect one.  "If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work,"  2 Timothy 2:21, NLT.   As you and I continue to yield ourselves to His workmanship, remaining pliable in our hearts, willing to submit our lives to His way of doing things, He will use our lives for His glory -- even not so perfect!