You are Useful!!

Something I've been thinking about recently is how God can use anyone and any story to further his kingdom. For example, look at our heroes from the Bible.

Joseph

• Was sold as a slave by his brothers
• Wrongfully imprisoned and blamed for a crime he didn't commit
• While in prison God used him to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh's cup bearer and baker
• He was left in prison because the cup bearer forgot to tell Pharaoh about him for a while
• Once the forgetful cup bearer remembered, Joseph was used by God to save the land of Egypt! He also saved his brothers and their families. 

Moses

• Was a prince of Egypt but also the son of a Hebrew slave
• Murdered an Egyptian and then hid the body
• Exiled from Egypt
• Came up with excuses as to why he COULDN'T be the one to confront Pharaoh
• Through him God performed many miraculous things and freed the Nation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt

Rahab

• Was a prostitute
• Because of her position though she was able to save the Hebrew spies who came to see the land of Jericho
• Her quick thinking allowed them to see the land and return with vital intel to their leader Joshua
• She saved her family from the battle of Jericho
• Despite her background and profession, God used her in the direct line of his Son Jesus

David

• A simple shepherd boy who became King of Israel
• A war hero who slayed the giant Goliath
• He was also an adulter and a murderer
• But because he REPENTED from his sin and sought God's forgiveness, he is also in the direct line of Jesus

Saul of Tarsus/Paul the Apostle

• Was a religious leader in the temple
• Persecuted Christians, hunting them down and arresting them because of their faith in Jesus
• Encountered Jesus, and became one of the most outspoken teachers of the message he once despised, and the biggest defender of the people he once hunted
• Wrote many of the books in the New Testament

Peter

• Was pretty hot tempered
• Denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion
• Became one of the founders of the first church

My point is that God can use anyone and any story. Don't think that just because you have a past that you can't be used by God. In fact, the very idea that you have a past can allow you to be used in areas that others couldn't. You have the unique ability to connect to people who have done, are doing, or are about to do the things that you did in your past in a way that others couldn't. And don't forget, if you are a child of God, you are redeemed, the chains of the past no longer have any hold on you. The sins of your past, if you've brought them to God, are forgiven. Don't listen to the lies of Satan. He's going to constantly throw them in your face trying to trip you up and pull you away from all that God has for you.

Now this doesn't mean that our actions past, present, or future don't/won't have consequences. Even the people mentioned above had consequences for their actions. Joseph's brothers had to live with the guilt of selling him and lying to their father. For most of her life before the fall of Jericho, Rahab had to live with the ramifications of her lifestyle. Because of his sin, the son that David and Bathsheba had as a result of their adulterous relationship died. In summary, even though we'll all have to face the consequences (good or bad) of our actions, as long as we give it to God and repent, our sins cannot hold us in bondage...we are free!

Now for those of you who don't have a particularly dramatic past, God can still use you. Don't think that you HAVE to have a past to be used by God. Please note GOD CAN USE ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO BE USED BY HIM. Beware, Satan will try to throw you off track by telling you that you can't be used by God, you're not qualified, you haven't had the worldly experiences that others have had, how can you be of any use? Don't you know that the most dramatic redemption stories all have you turning away from drugs and alcohol? You're too good. LIES! LIES! AND MORE LIES!!! Instead of lamenting the fact that you haven't had some of the experiences that others have had, be THANKFUL that you haven't had to go through them. That you have experiences that are unique to you and your life that can be used in ways that other's experinces couldn't.

The truth is you are useful to God, past or no past. All you have to do is say "Lord I'm ready and willing" and then trust him to use you in the way that he needs you. Now that can be somewhat intimidating, because you are giving up control to him (which control is an illusion..just sayin) and trusting that wherever he leads you will be where you need to be. It won't always be easy, it won't always be fun, and there will be challenges and obstacles in the way. But I guarantee you, no matter where you go, what you face, who you face it with, being in the center of God's will is the best place to be.

Final thoughts: Jesus created you, he knows you inside and out. He knows your desires, hobbies, dreams, likes/dislikes, limitations, he knows where he needs you and he's designed you perfectly to fit into that place. Trust him to put you in that place where you need to be. Trust that he's got everything under control...cause he does. :)

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

Romans 8:28 (AMP)

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

1 Corinthians 5:16-20 (MSG)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (HCSB) 

Balin: [after overhearing Bilbo tell Gandalf he will not join the Dwarves on their journey] It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkerers, toy-makers. Hardly the stuff of legend. 

Thorin Oakenshield: There are a few warriors amongst us. 

Balin: Old warriors. 

Thorin Oakenshield: I would take each and every one of these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart... I can ask no more than that. 

Conversation between Balin and Thorin Oakenshield The Hobbit an Unexpected Journey