VESSELS OF GRACE AND TROPHIES OF MERCY
One of the most humbling and beautiful truths in the Christian life is that God chooses ordinary, broken people to be carriers of His extraordinary grace. We are not just called to receive His mercy but to become living, breathing displays of it. The Bible says that we have this treasure—God’s presence, His gospel, His power—in jars of clay so that it’s clear the strength comes from Him, not from us (2 Corinthians 4:7). That means every weakness, every cleft in the vessel of our lives, becomes another place where His grace shines through.
It’s not about how strong we are. It’s about how available we are. God isn’t looking for perfect people. He’s looking for surrendered ones. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he said that in a large house there are all kinds of vessels. Some are made of gold and silver, others of wood and clay. Some are used for special purposes, others for ordinary things. But if we cleanse ourselves from what is dishonorable, we will be made useful to the Master, ready for every good work (2 Timothy 2:20–21). That’s what we want—to be useful to the One who saved us. Not flashy. Not perfect. Just clean and ready.
But we’re not only vessels of grace—we’re trophies of mercy. A trophy is something you display to show what has already been won. It’s proof of victory. Paul said in Ephesians that even when we were spiritually dead, God made us alive with Christ. He raised us up and seated us with Christ in heavenly places, so that in the coming ages He could show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5–7). That’s your life, if you belong to Jesus. You’re proof of what His mercy can do. You’re on display—not to draw attention to yourself but to draw attention to the One who rescued you.
That’s why you don’t need to carry shame around anymore. You don’t need to keep hiding your past or worrying about what other people think. The enemy wants to keep you quiet by reminding you of who you used to be. But God wants to use your life to tell the story of who He is. Paul said that Christ came into the world to save sinners, and he called himself the worst of them. But he said he received mercy so that Jesus could show unlimited patience through him as an example for others who would believe (1 Timothy 1:15–16). If God can do that with Paul, He can do it with you.
So today, walk like someone who’s been chosen, cleaned up, and filled with grace. Don’t shrink back from being used by God because of your past. Your story is now part of His story. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He already prepared for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). You don’t have to strive to be something you’re not. Just stay close to Jesus. Stay yielded. Keep your heart soft, your hands open, and your eyes on the One who took you from death to life.
And when you see someone else who is broken, don’t look down on them. Remember where you came from. Be quick to extend mercy, because you’ve received more than you could ever repay. The same grace that’s been poured into your life is meant to spill over into theirs. You’re not just a container of God’s grace. You’re a channel for it.
Let it flow.
Let. It. Flow.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
