Warts And All
February 18, 2016
II Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
I meet Christians all the time who wish they were a little bit different. They tell me they want to be further along in their Christian walk. They tell me some flaw, some perceived short-coming, and say if they knew more Bible , if they had more of this and less than that then they would lead a small group, they would teach a class, they would mentor a young Christian. They point to some wart in their lives and say if it weren’t here then God could use them. Newsflash! You are not a liability to God. When you are saved you stop being a liability to God. Even when we mess up God is still going to use it somehow for our or someone else’s good. Stop saying to yourself that God can’t use you yet. God can and will use you just as you are if you allow Him to. Your body is the exact vessel God wants to use, warts and all. The question is-will you stop focusing on yourself and instead focus on God and offer yourself to God for His use. You are the vessel. You carry Christ. The treasure is not you, the vessel. It isn’t about how you look on the outside or even how you feel about your body or your warts. The treasure is what is inside of the vessel. Your purpose, no matter whether you are a young Christian or mature in Christ, is to allow the life of Christ to flow through you onto others. God wants to express Himself through you and use your warts to do it. People are not attracted to your perfections. People sympathize and people lay down their defenses because of your warts. Your humanity is how God touches the world..
– Virginia Thompson
I meet Christians all the time who wish they were a little bit different. They tell me they want to be further along in their Christian walk. They tell me some flaw, some perceived short-coming, and say if they knew more Bible , if they had more of this and less than that then they would lead a small group, they would teach a class, they would mentor a young Christian. They point to some wart in their lives and say if it weren’t here then God could use them. Newsflash! You are not a liability to God. When you are saved you stop being a liability to God. Even when we mess up God is still going to use it somehow for our or someone else’s good. Stop saying to yourself that God can’t use you yet. God can and will use you just as you are if you allow Him to. Your body is the exact vessel God wants to use, warts and all. The question is-will you stop focusing on yourself and instead focus on God and offer yourself to God for His use. You are the vessel. You carry Christ. The treasure is not you, the vessel. It isn’t about how you look on the outside or even how you feel about your body or your warts. The treasure is what is inside of the vessel. Your purpose, no matter whether you are a young Christian or mature in Christ, is to allow the life of Christ to flow through you onto others. God wants to express Himself through you and use your warts to do it. People are not attracted to your perfections. People sympathize and people lay down their defenses because of your warts. Your humanity is how God touches the world..
– Virginia Thompson