The strong village blacksmith said, “There is only one thing I fear and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.” He said, “When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first heat it, beat it, and plunge it into a bucket of cold water. It must withstand the process to be used. If it weakens and cannot withstand the process, it is unusable, I throw it on the useless scrap heap. I have learned the Lord is my blacksmith. He tests me with fire, water, temperance, and heavy blows from His hammer to see if I will withstand the process. My greatest fear is that He might give up on me and throw me into the unused useless scrap heap.I fear the scrap heap.” (Selected).
The potter also uses the process of pain to produce vessels. “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jer. 18:4). Withstand the process! Do not resist but respond. As Job, you can say, “When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold.” Paul, as the blacksmith, feared being a castaway on the scrap heap. “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Cor. 9:27). Peter weakened and denied the Lord. Jesus died. He felt useless and unusable. But on the third day the angel said, “He is risen… go your way, tell his disciples and Peter…” (Mark 16:7). Peter responded! He preached and 3,000 people were saved. He could joyfully could say, “The Lord is risen and I am forgiven.” Peter later wrote, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after (process) that ye have suffered (pain) a while, make you (1) perfect, (2) stablish, (3) strengthen, (4) settle you” (I Peter 5:10). As Jonah stop resisting. “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh…preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee” (Jonah 3:1-2).
Withstand and you will overcome! Respond and you will reap (Gal. 6:9). After you respond correctly, you become (1) sound, (2) sweeter, (3) stronger, and more (4) sensitive. Put up a sign, “Under new management.”
Do you fear being cast away on the scrap heap? Do not resist but respond to the hands of the Potter, the Blacksmith, and the Lord. Realize the Lord is still in the life changing business of remaking and remolding vessels for His use (2 Tim. 2:21). Afterward, as Peter you can also joyfully say, “He is risen and I am forgiven.” Learn a lesson from the Blacksmith, the Potter, Jonah, Paul, and Peter.
Don’t become a castaway. Fear the Scrap Heap.
