by A. M. O.

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him;
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift,
And plain it all He’ll make.
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

Under construction by the Lord,
Pieced together in perfect accord,
Bit by bit, each part joined carefully,
Fitted and arranged with wisdom, tenderly.

As the Holy Spirit smoothes the edges,
And transforms His vessel into honour,
These changes, blessed by God’s own touch,
Are wrought by His glorious power.

When God’s final product is presented,
It will have been tested and proved.
Fired in the kiln of life’s afflictions,
Refined and the impurities removed.

Though I can’t imagine the end result as yet,
This work of art will someday be done.
Molded by the Potter with His very hands,
Lovingly crafted into the image of His Son.

August 22nd, 1995
Jerry (Gerald) Bouey

Being confident of this very thing,
that He which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

The word for “workmanship” in this passage is the Greek word “poiema”,
where we get our English word “poem”.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour,
you are God’s poem, and He is still working on you!

The Master was searching for a vessel to use;
On the shelf there were many – which one would He choose?
“Take me”, cried the gold one. “I’m shiny and bright.
I’m of great value and I do things just right.
My beauty and luster will outshine the rest
And for someone like You, Master, gold would be the best!”

The Master passed on with no word at all;
He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall;
“I’ll serve You, dear Master, I’ll pour out Your wine
And I’ll be at Your table whenever You dine,
My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,
And my silver will always compliment You.”

Unheeding the Master passed on to the brass,
It was wide mouthed and shallow, and polished like glass.
“Here! Here!” cried the vessel, “I know I will do.
Place me on Your table for all men to view.”

“Look at me”, called the goblet of crystal so clear.
“My transparency shows my contents so dear,
Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride,
And I’m sure I’ll be happy in Your house to abide.”

The Master came next to a vessel of wood,
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
“You may use me, dear Master”, the wooden bowl said,
“But I’d rather You used me for fruit, not for bread!”

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay.
Empty and broken it helplessly lay.
No hope had the vessel that the Master might choose,
To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use.

“Ah! This is the vessel I’ve been hoping to find,
I will mend and use it and make it all Mine.
I need not the vessel with pride of its self;
Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf;
Nor the one who is bigmouthed and shallow and loud;
Nor one who displays his contents so proud;
Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right;
But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power and might.”

Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay.
Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
Spoke to it kindly. “There’s work you must do,
Just pour out to others as I pour into you.”

 The Chosen Vessel
Unknown Author

Vessels unto honour
is what we desire to be.
Lord, help us as ladies
draw closer yet to Thee.

You have brought us each together
for a very special plan.
Though Your purpose in our lives
we may not fully understand.

May our vessels be pure,
acceptable, and clean.
Help us serve You uprightly
in each and everything.

Fellowship and prayer,
encouragement and grace.
We find these things and more
in this very special place.

Thank you Lord for placing
a burden on someone’s heart.
I’m so very thankful that
with these ladies I have a part.

 How can You be so patient,
With this unworthy piece?
I’ve struggled far too often,
And yet You do not cease.

 Still You gently mold me,
Though I fight against your will.
A vessel unto honour,
You will make me still.

 You know that I am dust,
You know each inward part;
You know my true desire,
For a pure and godly heart.

 And so You work so gently,
Where I fear for You to touch;
You take Your time because,
You love me very much. 

And when one day at last,
Your work with me is done,
A vessel unto honour,
Is what I‘ll have become.

 © 2008 Chelsie May

Have Compassion, Making A Difference

Jerry Bouey

I thought I was a good Christian, I thought I loved the lost;
I believed I was a giving soul – willing to count the cost.
But there was something that was missing, and it truly came clear to me:
If I wanted to make a difference, having compassion was the key.Chorus:
Have compassion, making a difference,
Share the truth that will make them free -
From a heart stirred by the love of God,
Making a difference eternally!

How can You be so patient,
With this unworthy piece?
I’ve struggled far too often,
And yet You do not cease.

Still You gently mold me,
Though I fight against your will.
A vessel unto honour,
You will make me still.

You know that I am dust,
You know each inward part;
You know my true desire,
For a pure and godly heart.

And so You work so gently,
Where I fear for You to touch;
You take Your time because,
You love me very much.

And when one day at last,
Your work with me is done,
A vessel unto honour,
Is what I‘ll have become.
© 2008 Chelsie May

Vessels Unto Honour
Abby Louise Allison

Vessels unto honour
Is what we desire to be.
Lord, help us as ladies
Draw closer yet to Thee.

You have brought us each together
For a very special plan.
Though Your purpose in our lives
We may not fully understand.

May our vessels be pure,
Acceptable, and clean.
Help us serve You uprightly
In each and everything.

Fellowship and prayer,
Encouragement and grace.
We find these things and more
In this very special place.

Thank you Lord for placing
A burden on someone’s heart.
I’m so very thankful that
With these ladies I have a part.

Clay doesn’t tell it’s Maker
what it wants to be.
Instead the Potter molds it
as fit He clearly sees.

In the hand of the Potter
the clay is soft to the touch,
and it never complains
that it’s been handled too much.

The vessel doesn’t tell it’s Maker
where it wants to go.
It only serves it’s purpose,
for that is all it knows.

The vessel doesn’t seek it’s glory.
It knows that none it contains.
It represents it’s Master
and glorifies His name.

Sometimes the Potter must break the vessel
and remake it yet again.
But you’ll never see clay fight back
for it simply yields to Him.

So Lord, may I be
In Your hands as the clay.
Break me if You must;
but remake me please, I pray.

  Verse 1:

Empty and broken, I came back to him;
A vessel unworthy, so scarred with sin.
But he did not despair he started over again,
And I bless the day; He didn’t throw the clay away!

 Chorus:
 
Over and over, he molds me and makes me.
Into his likeness, He fashions the clay.
A vessel of honour I am today.
All because Jesus didn’t throw clay away.

  Verse 2:
 
He is the potter and I am the clay.
Molded in his image, he wants me to stay.
But when I stumble and I fall, and my vessel brakes,
He just picks up the pieces. He doesn’t throw the clay away!

 Chorus: 

Over and over, He molds me and makes me;
Into his likeness. He fashions the clay.
A vessel of honour, I am today.
All because Jesus didn’t throw clay away.
A vessel of honour I am today!
All because Jesus didn’t throw the clay away

Gene Reasoner/New Chelsea Press/BMI