To be honest, looking at him as a shy 12 year old boy I would never have imagined he would be so active in his faith and so proficient in his musical ability.

Philemon 1-25

Reference:  v.11  Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. (NIV Bible)

Explore:  The other day I caught up with an old Sunday School student of mine, Peter.  It was hard to believe that 11 years ago he had been sitting in my grade 5/6 class, learning about stories from the Bible.  Back then he had just started learning to play the piano and, although he was a pretty smart kid, he was incredibly shy.  These days he is almost at the end of his university degree, he gets paid to teach piano, he plays keyboard and sings in a band, he's released numerous CDs, he's one of the youth leaders at church and he directs an annual beach mission (just to name a few of his accomplishments!)  To be honest, looking at him as a shy 12 year old boy I would never have imagined he would be so active in his faith and so proficient in his musical ability.  Thankfully he was not restricted by my limited forethought.

Application:  It is harsh when someone is judged by their previous behaviour as a child or teenager.  Thankfully God does not have limited forethought and sees the potential in us at all stages of our lives.  He is not restricted by money, popularity or human understanding.  He can see great potential in all people because we are born in His image.  This is a challenge for us too, when we look at the people around us.  Do we limit them by not seeing their full potential?  Often, if you look a little deeper and really get to know someone, you will find they have more potential than you ever thought possible.

Prayer:  Lord, forgive us for seeing the limitations in others rather than seeing their potential.  May we look at our neighbours with Your eyes.  Amen.

Is there someone who you are limiting because of your judgment on their potential?