It was just an old bicycle someone had thrown away until Dad found it in the trash and rescued it from certain destruction. He put new spokes in the wheels, new tires on the rims, new bearings in the crank hub, a new chain and sprockets, a beautiful new coat of paint and a comfortable new seat. Whatever the old bike had been in the past faded into insignificance that Christmas morning when it was found parked next to the unpretentious Christmas tree in my childhood home.

I was thinking: Isn’t that rather like our experience with God? There we were on the devil’s trash heap. Well aware of our own short-comings and failures. Badly scarred by the life we had lived. Seen as worthless by some; simply overlooked by others. But then, the Master found us, replaced the bad, repaired the good, refurbished His own remarkable design and gave each of us as a unique and useful gift to a family and circle of friends waiting with baited breath to see God’s finished product.

Don’t give up on yourself. God certainly has not. Give Him all that you are right now and see what amazing things He can do with you!

Merry Christmas!

With love,

Pastor Richard Orrell