Cubby Sellers recently described some projects that he
enjoyed with his dear friend, Elton Love: “I went with Elton a few
times to cut some wood. Most people would think that we were cutting
firewood. But with Elton, after the tree was cut down, he would look at
the end of the log to see how the grain of the wood looked. Then he
would measure the length he wanted, make a mark, and we would cut it
again. Then he checked the grain again at the both ends, made his mark,
and cut it so as to split the log length-wise. We would repeat this
process until we had all the wood he needed.
Later he
would take a piece of that wood, place it onto his wood turning lathe,
and work with it for some time. All the while, woodchips and sawdust
would be flying all around him. And then as if some magic had happened,
he would have a beautiful hand-turned wooden bowl. The wood grain was
clearly in view and stood out beautifully. Then I understood why Elton
had looked at the end of that log and made the decision about which way
to make to cut to split the log.
Elton taught
me how to take a plain old piece of firewood and turn it into something
beautiful, a piece of hand-turned wooden art. Those were some good
times that we shared together and the woodturnings that we made are
artworks that I will cherish forever.”
Notice again
Cubby’s statement: “Elton taught me how to
take a plain old piece of firewood and turn it into something beautiful,
a piece of hand-turned wooden art.”
I love that statement. I love it because it reveals one
of Elton’s incredible talents. I also love it because it reminds me of
the Master Carpenter, Jesus Himself.
Jesus was the son of a carpenter and likely was taught
the trade by His earthly father, Joseph. Think about how, like Elton,
Jesus would have been taught to look at a piece of wood and “turn
it into something beautiful, a piece of hand-turned wooden art.”
What houses did Jesus help build? What types of furniture, perhaps?
But it was
PEOPLE in which Jesus was most interested. He could look at
a person and see what he or she could become with His skillful hands.
Here’s an example: when Andrew brought his
brother, Simon, to Jesus,
Jesus looked at him and said, “You
are Simon the son of Jonah.
You shall be
called Cephas
(which is translated, A Stone)”
(John 1:42).
“Jesus looked at him” – and He saw what Simon
was, what He would do – including the blunders
he would make – but also what He could make of Him. Jesus saw
that He would make Him into a “Rock” in the kingdom, a powerful
proclaimer of the Gospel, the Good News (see Acts 2).
Jesus took “an old piece of firewood” and made it into a
wonderful piece of art.
He did that for Peter. He wants to do that in each of our lives. And
He will, if we will only submit ourselves to Him in obedience to His
will. He will conform us into His own image (Romans 8:29). That is the
greatest Image of all.
Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Now,
He lives to mold us into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
God will save and give eternal life to those who place
their
faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins
in
repentance
(Acts 17:30-31),
confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are
baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin and mold the lives of those who continue to
submit to His will (1 John 1:7-9).
Won’t YOU submit your life to the hands of the
Master Carpenter so that He can save you and mold you more and more into
His image?
-- David A. Sargent
P.S. In loving memory of my friend and brother in the Lord, Elton E.
Love. I love the work that Christ did in his life.
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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