Do What You Can

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” – Galatians 4:4-5.

There is an interesting dynamic in Christianity today. Maybe paradox is a better word. Most Christians believe that God loves them. But if you asked those same Christians if they believed God could use them or would even want to use them, they will hem and haw and never really land on an exact yes or no. Why? Because people feel unusable.

“I have flaws. I have deep insecurities. I have a lack of discipline and Biblical knowledge. And if that is not enough, my sins and mistakes disqualify me. Jesus loves me? Yes, He died for me. But could Jesus use me? Ummmm…seriously? Seems very unlikely to me.”

People have been saying some of those same things since Biblical days. And since Biblical days God has specialized in taking ordinary, regular people of average intelligence and average gift and marred backgrounds and doing something extraordinary. Here is where Moses got it wrong when he made excuses and where we get it wrong today: Our limitations are not prohibitions to God using our lives. God specializes in taking that very limitation and making it the platform where He shows His greatness and His glory and His grace.

But for that to happen, for ordinary people, people like you and like me, something has to happen. It’s not dependent on your intelligence, it’s not dependent on your education, your giftedness, your background, your wealth, your age or your personality. This one thing is what separates religious people from people who revolutionize the world. This one thing is always rewarded by God. And finally, this one thing is what God is seeking to develop and grow in your life more than any other thing.

You are probably reading this and wondering what is this one thing. The one thing is faith. The faith to believe who God is and what He has said to the point that you act on it. You act on it when you are unsure, or when things don’t make sense. Faith that enables you to get started, to take that first step. “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Discussion Questions:

1. What excuses do we sometimes use in not making the most out of the life God has given us?
2. What responsibility do we have to be available for God to work through us?
3. How can you prepare yourself for the future when God calls you to some step of faith or action or obedience?