As I was reading in Miki's thread about the old man that had seen Solomon's Temple I was reminded of something that happened in my life a few years ago. Here is the passage that was quoted....
QUOTE
Now God was repeating what the people were saying. They had gotten started and the temple had begun to go up. There was a bustle of excitement until an old man came down to watch the work. He had been a child when they were carried captive into Babylon and had seen the temple of Solomon in all its great glory, and as old men sometimes do, he was living in the past. And he said, "Do you call this a temple? This heap of ruins here? I saw Solomon's temple, and what you are building here is nothing compared to that. All the gold and silver that was in that temple---it was amazing! And you don't even have any gold or silver. How are you going to decorate this temple?" The people got discouraged and they said, "You know, he's right. We don't have any gold or silver. We don't have anything to make this temple beautiful. What's the use? Why work?" So they quit.
But the Lord said (verse 4):
"Take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD."
On what basis, Lord?
"Work, for I am with you."
But the Lord said (verse 4):
"Take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD."
On what basis, Lord?
"Work, for I am with you."
Our Pastor was doing a series on "Vessels". He ask the congregation to bring a vessel that symbolized their lives. Oh there were beautiful vases and pottery brought..... fine pieces carved out of wood, some made of crystal and others were fine porcelain china. So for a couple of weeks I looked on the stage to see everyone's vessel. I knew there was only a couple of weeks left to bring them. I searched for those weeks. I just could not find anything that I could look at and say.... "oh yes that is me" So I began to seek the Lord....."Lord I can't find anything? Please help me find something that truly speaks of me."
It was the Saturday before the final Sunday of his series..... and I said Lord please I have nothing? He said go out in your flower bed there is a clay pot.... that is what I want you to bring. So in the pouring rain I trampled through the mud. I looked and looked..... and finally my eye caught an old pot. I picked it up....and began to weep.... I knew this was the one the Lord had picked for me.
It was so marred.... cracked..... the ugly green paint was peeling, it was a mess!
The Lord began to speak to me..... He said, Valerie.... this was you when I found you, but you carry this ugly vessel with you tomorrow, and prepare for I have chosen you to speak.
We attend a church of about 500. Each week the Pastor chose 1 or 2 people to share. The Lord told me that even though I was not asked to speak that He would call on me. He then proceeded to tell me to go inside and fill the broken vessel full of the things that were the most precious to me.
My 1st thoughts went back to my life before the Lord found me. At this point I had been a believer for about 11 years. What a pitiful state of sin I was when the Lord reached down to save me.
Then I immediately thought.... Lord the most precious is YOU! It has been your Word/ Your Spirit that has filled me! So He told me to find my 1st two Bibles I used after I came to the Lord. So I pulled them out; they were literally worn out! The pages were ripped, passages were missing.... the cover just torn apart. I placed both of those Bibles in the pot.
I then spotted a picture of my family. They were so precious to me because for years I spent my days filled with drugs. I was only focused on myself and what brought me pleasure. I sought such vain things.... what I could wear, the latest hair style, the best of jewelery. I was focused on what I drove, and the money I could make to buy more things! Oh how this brought so much heartache and neglect of those that were the most precious to me! Then my eyes spotted my singing machine. Finally the Lord had placed a beautiful song on my heart and oh how I wanted to Praise my Lord and share that music with others.
The next day I walked into church carrying this broken/ worn out ugly thing into church..... still covered in mud from the garden and night of rain (I actually had gotten a cloth and was going to clean it but the Lord said NO!) I placed it on the stage with the many 100's of other beautiful vessels. Church started and I was dissappointed .... and I said "Lord I know you said that you were going to use me to speak?"
I knew that the Pastor was already seated on the stage. Finally after a few songs we had our greeting time. I saw my Pastor make his way down the stage and was walking straight for me. He walked up and shook my hand and told me that he wanted me to share a testimony about my vessel. Whew!
So as I did.... I shared that this old ugly thing on the outside was me.....This was my life when the Lord found me in my sin! Dirty, broken.... a piece of Junk! BUT oh this is not the end of the story, you see it is not what is on the outside that matters! For you see Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. I began to pull the tattered Bibles out of the vessel.... and began showing them the ripped and torn pages. I told them of how that the Lord some 11 years ago began to fill my broken vessel with His Word. I lived and breathed the Word of God..... it was the MOST PRECIOUS thing that I have found to fill this clay pot! I showed them the music.... and shared how that finally I had a reason to sing, because I had been given a song in my heart. I showed them the picture of my family..... and shared how that God had truly blessed me..... that He gave me a chance to make things right where I had went so wrong! I shared from a passage in Jeremiah 2...
QUOTE
13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
I told them that this was my vain life before I found Christ.... my vessel/cistern was broken...that I had forsaken the Lord! I dug this pit thinking it would fill me up.... and began placing all these worldly things into this crater that I had hewed out! ( the drugs, money, clothing) But nothing would satisfy the thirsting in my spirit. The more I filled it with the World the more empty I became! Yet when I found the Lord and He placed His spirit in me I then began to fill the cistern up with the things of the Lord.... I was no longer empty. How ironic that my vessel be such a ugly broken one.... yet He has filled me up and sealed this broken worn out useless thing with His precious Spirit.
Then I shared a promise the Lord had given me about 10 years prior...
QUOTE
Jeremiah 15:18-20
18Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
19Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
20And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Oh what a beautiful promise He gave...... if I would pour forth the PRECIOUS....(the Lord... His Word....His Spirit... His Song.... His blessings with my family.... From this vile/ (worthless, insignificant vessel) that He would use me to Speak! What an honor and privilege to be used by the Lord!
Wow.... He has reminded me of this passage and promise this very past week. Oh how the Lord is good! That He can take a nobody filthy rotten person as me..... and fill me with the most precious gifts of all! Whew.... all praise to my Savior! For He alone is worthy to be praised. Oh how evident it is ..... the times we are living in! When I see the prophecies of old unfold.... read about how the very hand of God orchestrated every last detail; or read of an unfolding Bible Code I am in AWE!
This past week as I said earlier I have been reminded of the promise the Lord gave me so many years ago. I know without a doubt that the Lord has been preparing me all these years for these final days. I just pray that I will continue to fill this broken vessel with the things of HIM! I will pray and seek His face that I might be able to pour the Most Precious from this vile of a person! I pray that He will use me to stand and proclaim His Word as we Usher in the King of KINGS!
As I read the response of this man....how he said, you call this a temple? How can this be.... it has no gold or silver? The Lord reminded me of this time in my life. It does not matter what our past looks like.... how our physical beauty appears to others..... it matters not whether we are young or old, weak or strong. What matters most is this...... what is filling your vessel? Is the Shekinah Glory of God filling your Temple? Are you pouring forth those most precious things from your vial vessel? For it is only these things that are worth so much more than silver or Gold!
Love in Christ,
Valerie
Messiahiscoming
