Oftentimes, when something is broken or flawed in some way, we don’t see the usefulness in it. It might get put up on a shelf, stored somewhere, tossed out with the garbage, or returned. However, it may be that value is still seen in the object and is made useful once again. It might just be a simple repair with new parts, or a little glue and a patch. It could even be that the object is torn apart and made into something completely different and unique—USEFUL!
If flawed objects can be made useful again, what about people? It may be that we see certain people as hopeless when it comes to being useful as a servant of the Lord—those whose lives have been horribly scarred by sin or those who seem to be uninterested in the Lord’s church. Yet, there is a man in the Scriptures who gives anyone hope. In fact, his name (Onesimus) means, “useful” but he was not living a “useful” life when Paul met him. He was a runaway slave of Philemon who had apparently robbed his master and met the apostle Paul in jail. It was there that Onesimus became useful as his broken life was mended by obeying the Gospel (Phile. 10). After having been wronged, it would have been easy for Philemon to deny that Onesimus could truly be useful to him or to the Lord. Yet, Paul believed in Onesimus and his newfound usefulness—perhaps, remembering his own conversion (cf. 1 Tim. 1:13; Acts 9). So, Paul urged Philemon to receive Onesimus back in full fellowship as a faithful child of God (Phile. 15-17).
Is there someone in your life whose life seems broken beyond repair? It could even be you. Remember that Christ came into the world to heal, deliver, and recover those in sin (Luke 4:18). Onesimus could be useful in giving his life to the Lord. Anyone today can do the same (2 Cor. 5:17).
Derrick Coble
If flawed objects can be made useful again, what about people? It may be that we see certain people as hopeless when it comes to being useful as a servant of the Lord—those whose lives have been horribly scarred by sin or those who seem to be uninterested in the Lord’s church. Yet, there is a man in the Scriptures who gives anyone hope. In fact, his name (Onesimus) means, “useful” but he was not living a “useful” life when Paul met him. He was a runaway slave of Philemon who had apparently robbed his master and met the apostle Paul in jail. It was there that Onesimus became useful as his broken life was mended by obeying the Gospel (Phile. 10). After having been wronged, it would have been easy for Philemon to deny that Onesimus could truly be useful to him or to the Lord. Yet, Paul believed in Onesimus and his newfound usefulness—perhaps, remembering his own conversion (cf. 1 Tim. 1:13; Acts 9). So, Paul urged Philemon to receive Onesimus back in full fellowship as a faithful child of God (Phile. 15-17).
Is there someone in your life whose life seems broken beyond repair? It could even be you. Remember that Christ came into the world to heal, deliver, and recover those in sin (Luke 4:18). Onesimus could be useful in giving his life to the Lord. Anyone today can do the same (2 Cor. 5:17).
Derrick Coble