tax collectors and sinners

I was watching a show on A&E called "INTERVENTION" and it got me thinking. For several years now I've had a dream that tugs at my heart and resurfaces from time to time. Every time I see or hear something that deals with drug/alcohol abuse, homelessness, prostitution, inner city violence, teen pregnancy, etc. my heart just aches. I want desperately to offer hope, to offer relief. I want to listen to their stories. I want to feel their pain. I want to be a part of their better ending. I realize that within me is HOPE, within me is LIFE- and it's the cure to their cancer. I stumbled upon a poem that was convicting:

What, finally, shall we say?

What, finally, shall we say
In the last moment
When we will be confronted
By the Unimaginable, The One
Who could not be measured or contained
In space or time
Who was Love Unlimited?

What shall we answer
When the question is asked
About our undeeds committed
In his name—
In the name of him
For whose sake we promised
To have courage
To abandon everything?

Shall we say
That we didn’t know—
That we couldn’t hear the clatter
Of hearts breaking—
Millions of them—
In lonely rooms, in alleys and prisons
And in bars?

Shall we explain
That we thought it mattered
That buildings were constructed
And maintained
In his honor—
That we were occupied
With the arrangements
Of hymns and prayers
And the proper, responsible way
Of doing things?

Shall we tell him
That we had to take care
Of the orderly definition of dogmas
So that there was no time
To listen to the sobbing
Of the little ones
Huddled in corners
Or the silent despair
Of those already beyond sobbing?

Or, shall we say this, too:
That we were afraid—
That we were keeping busy with all this
To avoid confrontation
Wih the reality of his meaning
Which would lead us to repentance—-
That it was fear that kept us
Hiding in church pews
And in important boards and committees
When he went by?

—Ursula Solek

Jesus paved the way for this kind of selfless love. Matthew 9:10-13 says "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and "sinners"?' But when he heard it, he said, 'Those who are well have no ned of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'" I want to walk in Jesus' footsteps and offer hope to the tax collectors and sinners... because in all reality, I am no better than they, only I have been rescued by the grace of my Father.

mold me and make me

I find the Creation story very interesting. It's one of those stories that I tend to gloss over because I've heard it since I was knee high to a squirrel. But what a great story, what an amazing TRUE story! Just think, God is completely satisfied in Himself- He needs nothing else. But for whatever reason, He decides to get creative (literally). God calls for light out of the dark nothingness, and it happens. Then He adds incomprehendable detail in everything He does... from the heights of the heavens to the depths of the sea. He creates big, small, and in between- plants and animals- all set in a breathtaking backdrop of the grandeur of space . It's all good because He says so. Then God made man in His own image- the crown of His creation- and breathed into him the breath of LIFE! Man was special, man was different. Genesis 2:7 says "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." That Hebrew verb translated "formed" is yastar which means "to mold as the potter molds the clay." Job said "Your hands fashioned and made me...you have made me like clay..." (10:8, 9). I just think that's such a cool picture- the Potter and the clay. That analogy is carried on throughout Scripture and the lives of believers. In reference to the Israelites, Jeremiah 18-19 speak directly of God as the Potter who has the right over the clay to do or not to do what He wants with. Rom. 9:20-23 talks about God's sovereignty in choosing how He'll use His clay, one lump from another. What right does the clay have to rebuke the Potter's craftsmanship? None. So then the obvious application is a quiet confidence in His handiwork. It only makes sense to leave the molding to the Maker. He knows what He's doing. Why is it so scary? Why do I doubt His perfect plans for me? Does a picture question the Photogrpher? Does the masterpiece question the Artist? So how dare I stand in question of my Creator who has faithfully sustained me and molded me according to His purposes. The only logical option is rest at ease and know He's working on me and making me to look more like Himself. He's molding a vessel for His use, and whether its use is common or special- His choice is sovereign and His plan is perfect. I just want to be a vessel that He's able to use for His glory. If I have to be broken and remolded along the way- I'm willing.
I love the song "Change My Heart, Oh God." The lyrics go: "Change my heart, oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, oh God- make me more like you. You are the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me- THIS IS WHAT I PRAY."