For all of our failures and spiritual brokenness, God specializes in turning us into useful instruments for Him. He is like the baker who makes a loaf of bread which can then feed a household. Or like a potter who shapes a jug and then fills it, so that it can quench the thirst of many. God takes you and me, sinners, and turns us into agents of His mercy and grace toward our neighbors. He cleansed us in the waters of Baptism, washing away our sins and clothing us in Christ, and He nourishes and strengthens us with the body and blood of Jesus in His Supper. God is the One who called us out of the darkness of unbelief, and who keeps us in the true faith by the Gospel. And He is also the One who motivates and empowers us to do the good that we do toward others.