Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (NIV)

My friend and I were sorting pears from her tree to take to market. All the pears that had bruises or were misshapen in any way she threw aside as worthless.

"Why are we discarding these good pears?" I asked.

"They are not worth saving," she said. "They have bad spots and flaws. No one will buy them."

"There's lots of good in them," I said.

"You can have them," she said.

I gathered up the discarded fruit and carried it home with me. In my kitchen, I carefully cut out the bad spots, discarded them, and made delicious pies and preserves out of the good parts. As I worked, I thought of many people I knew who were less than perfect, yet I knew that there was lots of good in them. If they committed their lives to Jesus, He would prune out the bad spots, overlook the physical deformities, and make something of worth out of them.

Jude 22-23 – Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear — hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (NIV)

There are bruises and bad spots in all of us. God can remove the flaws and save the diseased body. This process is not without pain, but it saves the person. The "spot" of sin does not make the entire body worthless. Through the cleansing power of Jesus Christ, the bad is removed without destroying that part which is good.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for being a Saviour rather than a destroyer. You see the good in Your children and desire to save them. Use us, Lord, as Your instruments to reach out and save the good, so that the bad spot of sin will not destroy the whole person. Amen.

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