YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD’S USE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 24, 2022.

SUBJECT : YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD’S USE!

Memory verse: “And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent." (Joshua 6 vs 17.)

READ: : Acts 9 vs 1 - 7:

9:1: Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

9:2: and asked letters from him to to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

9:3: As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

9:4: Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying unto him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

9:5: And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for thee to kick against the goads.”

9:6: So he trembling and astonished said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

INTIMATION:

God works through people. He created us in His image and after His likeness. God obviously did not create us exactly like Himself because God has no physical body. Instead, we are reflections of God’s glory. We have the ability to His character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. Knowing that we are made in God’s image and thus share many of His characteristics provides a solid basis for self worth. Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Instead, it is based on being made in God’s image. Because we bear God’s image, we can feel positive about ourselves. Criticizing or downgrading ourselves is criticizing what God has made and the abilities He has given us. 

All the people God created are useful to Him. He can use anybody, our sin nature not withstanding. For instance, in bringing our Messiah—Jesus Christ—into the world, God used all kinds of people. The study of genealogy of Christ in the first 17 verses of the gospel of Matthew (1 vs 1 - 17), we meet 46 people whose lifetimes span over 2000 years. All were ancestors of Jesus, but they varied considerably in personality, spirituality, and experience. Some were heroes of faith—like Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, and David. Some had shady reputations—like Rahab and Tamar. Many were very ordinary—like Hezron, Ram, Nahshon, and Achim. And others were evil—like Manasseh and Abijah. 

God’s works in history is not limited by human failures or sins, and He works through ordinary people. Just as God used all kinds of people to bring His Son into the world, He uses all kinds today to accomplish His will. And God wants to use you. Some of the women mentioned in the genealogy (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—here called “her who had been the wife of Uriah”) raise both ethnic and ethical questions. At least two of them were not Israelites by birth and all four of them had reputations that could have made them unmentionable in an ancestral tree. Yet this was the line into which God’s Son was born. 

Jesus’ genealogy makes it clear, not that there were a few disreputable people in His family, but that all of them were sinners. God sent His Son as Savior of all people. No matter what the sins of the people, God’s plan was never thwarted. It continues to unfold. That plan includes you. 

Another example is the apostle Paul. No person, apart from Jesus Himself, shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul. Even before he became a believer of Christ, his actions were significant. His frenzied persecution of Christians following Stephen’s death got the church started in obeying Christ’s final command to take the gospel worldwide. Paul’s encounter with Jesus changed his life. He never lost his fierce intensity, but from then on it was channeled for the gospel. 

Paul was very religious. His training under Gamaliel was the finest available. His intentions and efforts were sincere. He was a good Pharisee who knew the Bible and sincerely believed that this Christian movement was dangerous for Judaism. Paul hated the Christian faith and persecuted Christians without mercy. When he personally met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his life was never the same anymore. God did not waste any part of Paul—his background, his training, his citizenship, his mind, or even his weaknesses. Are you willing to let God do the same for you? You will never know All He can do with you until you allow Him to have all that you are!

Another example in Scripture is Rahab. She was a prostitute in the city of Jericho. As a prostitute, she lived on the edge of society, one stop short of rejection. God used her and gave her the courage to hide the spies and lie to the authorities. God works through people—like Rahab—whom we are inclined to reject. God remembers her because of her faith, not her profession. If at times you feel like a failure, remember that Rahab rose above her situation through her trust in God. You are good enough for God’s use. Make yourself available today!

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for my self-worth; for I am made in Your image and after Your likeness. O Lord, I am available for service to You. Here I am use me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!