Damaged Goods

I am full of hope this morning. My situation has not changed. There are still walls where I would like there to be doors. Still, I am full of hope.

At coffee last night we touched on the subject of 'damaged goods.' The bruised apple towards the back of the bin that people move about to get to the other shiny apples. The tie with a spot. The broken machine that needs costly parts.

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory" Matthew 12:20 ESV

Oh, That fills this little broken soul with hope. God, Isn't going to leave us to our dysfunction. He fans the flame and fixes broken souls. Yes, The parts are expensive and other things will surely break causing more expense but what is that to the value of the soul?

Oh, Grace is so good. So good.

Justice is the foundation but because of grace mercy rejoiced against judgment. Justice precedes everything. The foundation is a sound foundation.

God in His holiness wants right whole things. Justice demands wholeness. We know that and the bottom line is that we feel that way also. That is why we reject dysfunction. We reject it in ourselves and we reject it in others.

"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed." - Galatians 3:22-23 ESV

"For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive... Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being' the last Adam became a life-giving spirit." - 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45 ESV

Adam got damaged and God declared all of His descendants to be damaged also. That way Jesus could come and all of His spiritual children could be declared righteous.

Adam smokes and cracks. He limps and squeaks. But, In Christ we have a perfection that is given by grace. God never discards a person who has believed. He fans our little flame.

He goes to the bin and picks the bruised apple near the back and says, 'This one is perfect. It is just what I want.'

Thank You God... Really... Thank You for Your great mercy

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