The Touch of the Master’s Hand
‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar. Then two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?”
“Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three…” But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,
And going and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of the Master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,
A game — and he travels on.
He is “going” once, and “going” twice,
He’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand. ~Myra Brooks Welch
Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1 Corinthians 12:22
For the apostle Paul to be used by God he had to remember that in him “dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18).
To be used by God
The first qualification is to see that without him I can do nothing, that my righteousness is filthy rags—a mere pile of manure—that my thoughts are not his thoughts and my ways are not his ways. Then God is ready to glorify himself through my yielded self. I am but a clay vessel that the treasure within might be seen as the awesome beauty that it is.
I remember a story of a man who went to a lecture by a successful businessman. It was the worst lecture that he had ever heard and he was getting more and more excited. His friend poked him and whispered, “This is a terrible lecture, why are you so excited?”
He replied, “If that man can succeed then surely so can I!”
We want to have people look at us and at God using us and exclaim, “Well, if God can forgive, cleanse, and use them, then there must be hope for me!”
It is not my abilities that God needs for his glory, it is my availability!
In sports, it is the cream that rises to the top. In the kingdom, it is the weak that rise to the top. Really, everyone should be rising to the top and being used mightily by God. However, it is the few that are willing to see themselves as the least.
Both in salvation and then in being used by God, narrow is the gate because people want to be saved by grace then perfected by their efforts.
Do you see the fact that you are weak and needy?
Great! Everyone is but only those that see it and are desperate for blessing will receive.
In addition to being aware of our leastness, I need to accept and act in my infinite power, worth, and wisdom in Christ Jesus.
verlebellmd.com 