He Wants To Use YOU
There is just something so exciting and life-giving, knowing that the Lord wants to use each of us in special ways to further His Kingdom. One of my favorite quotes is, “you were created on purpose, for a purpose.” God does not make any mistakes, nor does He see His children as accidents.
He doesn’t look at the mess, the baggage, the mistakes, or anything in your past or even future that may make you feel flawed. If He can use Paul, He can use any of us. Not only was Paul (formerly Saul) a murderer and persecuted Christians, ruthlessly, he was also one of the most faithful and obedient people in the Bible by the end of his life. The Lord transformed his heart, and he gave every ounce of himself (even being put into prison) to further God’s Kingdom. Now that’s a transformation if I ever did see one!!
Below is Paul’s response in Acts 21:13-14, when his loved ones were begging him not to go to Jerusalem. They feared he would be jailed or persecuted.
“Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am not only ready to be jailed at Jerusalem, but even die for the sake of Lord Jesus. When it was clear we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, ‘the Lord’s will be done.’”
I think we can all relate to Paul on some levels. Sure, maybe not on the ‘murder’ level, but definitely on the level of feeling inadequate and “too messy.” Our natural inclination is to stray away from anything that is uncomfortable, hard, or painful. We tend to want to use our messiness as a crutch, so that we don’t have to talk to others about Jesus, fearing it may be uncomfortable. The beauty of our relationship with our Savior is that His grace is sufficient for each and every one of us. We no longer have to live in shame. Paul writes:
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
He is telling YOU to surrender the sin you are currently living in, allow Him to repair your heart, and GO live the life you were called to. Your past mistakes don’t define you and they never will. Jesus Christ died, so that our sins have no power over us. He defeated death and sin once and for all. All we have to do is live according to His will and respond obediently to His calling on our lives. The Lord has glorious, unlimited resources. He gives us the inner strength we cannot muster up on our own.
“Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21
I know from experience, that I learn the most when I hear people talk about how they have overcome their struggles-the same struggles I, myself deal with as well. When I listen to pastors speak about how they used to be into drugs and addicted to alcohol, but the Lord restored them and transformed their life, I am reminded of the redemption that is rooted in Jesus. When I look back on my life, before I really had a personal relationship with Jesus, I remember a girl who was so tangled in the world, that she wouldn’t be caught dead writing blogs about the Lord. But here I am :) Happier than I have ever been in my life, and more sure about my identity than ever before. He radically changed my heart and my perspective, and is now using me and my love for writing to share with others. HOW COOL!!
So, forget about how bad you used to be. Stop worrying about what people might think of you if you start talking about Jesus. Remind yourself that our God can accomplish ANYTHING He wants, and He will use ANYONE to do so.
We are not called to live a perfect life, but we are called to allow Him to use us as a vessel, so that His perfect story of redemption, grace, and love can be heard and experienced by all.
Brooke