Mountain View - Broken Merchandise By Tom Hovsepian
Writer Author Church On The Mountain
Christian Column
:
Encouragement
- Fiction No
Everybody loves an underdog. How about those 2004 Red Sox as they faced their formidable nemesis the Yankees in the American League Championship Series down 3 games to 0. The Sox came back, winning 4 straight games, a feat no other major league team has ever done. They then went on to break the dreaded “Bambino’s Curse”, that 86 year World Series victory drought, ever since they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920, by drubbing the Cardinals in 4 straight games to become World Champions.
God likes underdogs too. A lot. Little boy David, tongue tied Moses, vulnerable Esther, lion-taming Daniel, and scaredy cat fishermen just to name a few.
I’ve spent 25 yrs. in the construction trade and have found the adage, “you get what you pay for”, as being absolutely true. The use of cheap or shoddy materials will always come back to haunt you.
But God doesn’t see it that way. He states in Psalm 147 that He builds Jerusalem with the outcasts and brokenhearted. It says He heals their hearts and binds their wounds. Sometimes a broken heart can be more devastating than a physical ailment or injury.
Psalm 147 goes on to say that God doesn’t take delight in the strength of a horse or take pleasure in the legs of a man—He favors those who trust in His love expressed through His kindnesses.
Jesus used some unexpected materials to build with too. When 5000 people need to be fed He uses a little boy’s lunch.
Another example of this is when Jesus healed the tormented and demon possessed man from Gerasenes. When he was healed and in his right mind, Jesus didn’t send him off to Bible school or Seminary but told him to go to his people and tell them what God had done for him. Imagine that; broken, healed and sent, that quick.
What about that encounter Jesus had with the relational wreck of a woman at the well who had five husbands and was now living with a guy. To her Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah. When He told her that He was the source which could quench her thirst, she ran off to tell her whole town the good news! “Hey, God knows everything about me, and doesn’t condemn me. Could this be the Messiah? Come and see!” That busted up lady’s testimony brought many to faith.
Jesus said He came for people just like that, “broken merchandise”. I think of what Andy Cominsky, the founder of Desert Stream Ministries said, “The most powerful thing Jesus ever did was to become weak.” Wow!
 God has chosen us, the weak, the foolish, the broken to build His kingdom. As we embrace our brokenness we can then embrace the Cross—Christ being broken for all of us who are “damaged goods”. It’s here that the worst curse of all is broken, and in our weakness we become strong building materials for the Master Builder’s hands.
Tom Hovsepian is the pastoral team leader at Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30a.m. Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
California
Country:
United States
Email:
Paulafriedrichsen@live.com
Website:
www.churchonthemountain.org
Profile:
Click here!
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