Bent & Twisted

By Pastor Eric

This past week I got the awesome opportunity to join up with the Conquerors Strength Team down in Foley Alabama. In a 2-day span, we visited five different high schools–bending metal, breaking bricks, and blowing things up. At the same time, we got to preach the gospel and pour out our love and encouragement on the students. We were able to witness to over four thousand high school students and staff in just a couple days. It was an amazing time! On our last night in Foley we had a very large event at the sponsoring church, Summit Church. During that event, 30 students made decisions for Jesus Christ. 

As we were on stage breaking and bending stuff, something caught my attention. Everytime we broke a baseball bat or bent a piece of steel, the students were fighting over who would get it. Why would someone want a bent horseshoe or a broken bat? We rolled up a frying pan into a burrito and the kids were yelling from the crowd, “I want the frying pan!” It just didn’t make much sense. If I had met any of these students before the event, maybe at a fast food place, and I tried to give them a frying pan, they would probably think there was something wrong with me. Why would they want it now, when it was broken and not worth anything….even fighting over it? 

Then it hit me…they wanted it because the horseshoe or whatever it was had been transformed. It had been placed in the hands of someone stronger and it was forever changed–by the power and strength of someone else, it would never be the same! And, because it had been changed…its worth, its value has increased.

I have heard so many students say to me, “How can God love me?” “I’m never going to be good enough for God to love me.” “I’m not worthy to be loved.” Have you ever heard those statements before or maybe something similar? Have you ever felt that way?

Are we any different? We are bent and twisted…we are sinners with no hope of being loved or having any worth outside of God’s grace. But as children of God, we have placed ourselves into the hands of someone who is stronger, mightier, into the hands of our creator who is molding and shaping each one of us into a new thing. What’s even more important for us to remember is that because we have been transformed by the hands and love of someone who is strong, our worth has increased. Our worth and value is no longer found in the world, but grounded in the amazing love our heavenly Father has for each of us. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 1Cor 5:17

As you continue your day, remember that you are God’s masterpiece, you are beautiful, you are loved, and God is twisting you and bending you into something amazing. Most importantly, remember that you matter, you are more valuable than anything in this world, and that you are so deeply loved by the Father above!! 

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” 1John 3:1

Don’t listen to the lies of the devil, brothers and sisters…….you are God’s precious child, a prince or princess of the living King! Be bold…..and let the world hear your roar!!!   

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10

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