Has Your Candle All But Gone Out?

"A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not quench, till he sends forth justice to victory; and in his name Gentiles will trust." Matthew 12:20-21 The heart of God holds close those who are bruised, who have no more than a spark left in them. If you are so depleted that you feel useless and hopeless, call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He will hear your cry and will raise you up on the way to recovery. Many times it is the broken and depleted whom the Lord especially calls. In fact, he often waits until a person is in this condition, because prior to this they are still demanding to "do it my way." Salvation requires surrender to the One who has created the person. God has made each one with a God-shaped void inside, and he often lets a person try to fill that void with whatever he thinks will satisfy it. The person will go through one thing after another, after another, always thinking "if only I can attain to this, I'll be happy." Or "if only I had this, I'd be happy." "If only..." There is nothing and no one on earth who can fill that void because the Creator himself put it there, and at last when the person has exhausted every search and tried everything there is to try, obtains whatever he thought would make him happy, yet remains miserable, that is when the heart can be reached. When at last the person falls down before Jesus Christ, the Lord will receive him; he will not reject this bruised reed, and he will receive this one whose fire has all but gone out. Jesus said he did not come for the healthy, wealthy and wise, he said he came for those who need a physician. "And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'” Luke 5:30-32 Repentance can only begin when a person realizes his pitiable state and becomes willing to turn his life over to the great Physician. The person who brought me to the Lord so many years ago when I was broken, asked me, "Have you been a successful lord over your life?" I answered, "Obviously not. I am so broken." He then led me to Jesus and asked if I were willing to surrender my life to his Lordship. There was no hesitation about whether to take this offer. On that day I was born again, and I can testify that Jesus Christ changed my life totally and completely. I am no longer a bruised reed, and the smoking flax was put out and a new fire put within. I will spend all eternity looking for words to adequately thank him. Walking with Him has been the joy of my life. Surrender your life to the One who created you, and you'll find he is the only one who can heal and restore you.