MAKING A SILK PURSE!

Friday, August 16, 2019

MAKING A SILK PURSE!

Rom 7:18-19

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

           It was Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) who first said: “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!” The saying means that you can’t produce a good quality product using poor quality materials. In manufacturing this is certainly true but, when it comes to God and man, miraculous things can happen!

           Conversion is the transformation of a useless sinner into something of value to both God and man. The demoniac of Gadara is a prime example. In Mark 5:15 the transformation was so shocking that it caused the townspeople to be afraid. Before Jesus, this man was living in a graveyard naked and wild but after Jesus he is seen clean, calm, fully clothed and in his right mind. Viola! A silk purse from a sow’s ear!

           John Henry Newton (24 July 1725 – 21 December 1807) was an English sailor and Anglican clergyman. Starting his career at sea, at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years and was himself enslaved for a period. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery. He was the author of many hymns, including "Amazing Grace" and "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken." (Source Wikipedia)

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

Thank you, Lord, for the transformation that has taken place in my life. Because of your blood and your love, I am not the man I used to be. Help me to see this potential in others. AMEN