October 5, 2005

Have faith in God –
However dark it seem;
Have faith in God –
And every holy theme;
Have faith in God –
Your soul He will redeem.
Have faith, dear friend, in God.

Channels Only

Mary E Maxwell, 1837-1915

    If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2:21.

A vessel He will make of you, if small or great, 'twill surely do--
   Great joy and peace will always fill the one who's yielded to His will.

    To be a channel of the purposes of God is the highest calling in life. Every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift for this work. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10. When we use that gift, our own lives are blessed and enriched by God as we bless others. For instance, after a visit to a nursing home or an invalid person, we often come away spiritually rejuvenated. Ministering to the needs of others is one of the best remedies for self-centeredness and joyless living.
    Our ministry to others however is always based on what we have first received and experienced from God. We can never give out spiritual nourishment until we have first taken it in ourselves. Our experiences of suffering can be used to equip us to help others who suffer as we do. Difficulties can either make us bitter or they can fill us with a compassion and sensitivity for the hurts of others. People who are hurting can sense when we really understand and care for them in Christian love.
    Our Lord is seeking representatives who realize their insufficiencies but are willing to be a channel filled with His power and love. That's the vessel He can use.

How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me
That I might Thy channel be.

Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
A clean vessel in Thy hand;
With no power but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.

Witnessing Thy power to save me,
Setting free from self and sin;
Thou who boughtest to possess me,
In Thy fullness, Lord, come in.

Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner self may flow.

Chorus:
Channels only, blessèd Master,
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.

Have Faith in God by H.M.S. Richards, Used by Permission