He Makes Us New

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled, He Makes Us New, was written by Patricia Rabin. As a traveling executive, Shawn Seipler wrestled with an odd question. What happens to leftover soap in hotel rooms? Thrown out as trash for fanfills, millions of soap bars could instead find new life, Seipler believed. So he launched Clean the World, a recycling venture that has helped more than 8,000 hotels, cruise lines and resorts turn millions of pounds of discarded soap into sterilized, newly molded soap bars. Sit to people in need in more than 100 countries, the recycled soap helps prevent countless hygiene-related illnesses and deaths.

As Seipler said, I know it sounds funny but that little bar of soap on the counter in your hotel room can literally save a life. The gathering up of something used or dirty to give it new life is also one of the most loving traits of our Savior, Jesus. In that manner, after he fed a crowd of 5,000 with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish in John 6, he still said to his disciples, Gather the pieces that are left over, let nothing be wasted. In our lives, when we feel washed up, God sees us not as wasted lives, but as His miracles. Never throwaways in His sight, we have divine potential for new kingdom work. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, the new is here.

What makes us new? Christ within us. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from John chapter 6 verses 5-13. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?

He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite. Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, Here's a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, but how far will they go among so many? Jesus said, Have the people sit down. There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down.

About 5,000 were there. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.

So they gathered them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces of the 5 barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. Let's pray. Dear Lord Jesus, Thank You for making something new and beautiful out of us. When we feel worthless, remind us that we have immeasurable value as Your children. Thank You, Lord. It's in Your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Joyce Dinkins, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.