Broken and Shining

Every time I look at the calendar and see it is my turn to share with you, I begin to pray for God's message. I actually missed my week last month, so I have been checking the calendar daily. I have been going to bed asking God, "What is Your message?" and waking up asking, "What is Your message?"

I recently spoke in Little Rock, Arkansas. After I came home I received a letter from a dear pastor friend of mine. He was encouraging me about going through trials. I thought I would share some of his thoughts with you.

In Acts 9:15 the Lord said of Saul of Tarsus following his conversion that "he was a chosen vessel unto me." The thought came to me that all of us are vessels, most of us are self contained which will not allow the brightness and brilliance of the indwelling Christ to shine forth. Only with a broken vessel is that possible. The Lord has never used anything without first of all breaking it. The bread in the upper room, the bread on the occasion of feeding the 5000 are examples.. When Gideon marched his men around the camp of the Midianites, he commanded one of his company to carry pitchers with a flame inside. (Judges 7:16) He then commanded them to break the pitchers so the light would shine forth on the camp. Inside each of us is the "light of the world" but the light will not shine forth until we, the vessel is broken.

I pray you will find this encouraging. I know that there are always needs, trials, hurts and disappointments in the lives of ministers and their families. Yet, God is so able to use each circumstance in our life to shine Him into someone elses life.

Are you broken? Shine His Light!