Right Where You Are

Have you ever wondered if you were good enough to serve God?  Have you been sure that you did not have the right skill set or the right personality to be a disciple of Christ?  Are you shy?  Do you lack physical strength?  Do you feel like you aren’t smart enough?  I imagine we have all felt inadequate at some point in our faith journey—maybe some of you still do.

I love this quote by Pastor Tony Evans:  “God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”  What an encouraging thought.

I believe that God does have work for us.  He has something for everyone of us to do to serve the Kingdom.  He is able to take us, with all of our strengths and weaknesses, and lead us in the direction He wants us to go, if we are open to His guidance.

There are many examples in Scripture of God using ordinary, flawed people to do great things.  God used Jacob’s son, Joseph, to bring the Israelite’s safely through several years of famine, in spite of the cockiness and ego of Joseph in his youth.  God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, in spite of Moses’ speech impediment and lack of confidence.   And God used Rehab, a prostitute, to save the men who had been sent by Joshua to spy on the people of Jericho.  God used imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan for His people.

We also see examples in the New Testament, of ordinary, flawed people, being chosen by God to work for the good of the Kingdom.  Jesus chose common men, including simple fishermen, to be His disciples and to be by His side throughout His ministry.  He even chose a much-hated tax collector to be among the chosen twelve.  After Jesus’ death and resurrection, God made the incredible decision to choose Saul, a persecutor of Christians, to spread the Good News about Jesus throughout the ancient world.  Again, God chose imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan for His people.

God didn’t wait for any of these people to get everything right before He called on them.  He met them where they were.  He took them where He wanted them to go.  He gave them what they needed to have, when they needed it.  And great things were accomplished in His name.

Can we be used by God right now, in spite of our current education, skill-set, personality, or circumstances?  Absolutely!  God still uses imperfect people to carry out his perfect plan.  I am writing this as much for me as for all of you.  I want to open up to God’s calling on my life and discover what amazing things can happen with Him leading the way.  How about you?

Just for fun, since yesterday was National Winnie-the-Pooh Day, I would like to share some words of wisdom spoken to Pooh by Christopher Robin:  “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  With God’s help, those words can be true for all of us, and we can work together for the good of the Kingdom.

Blessings!