Doing Good for God
How many times have we said, “I just want God to use me”? How many times have we heard others say the same thing?
A lot.
There’s nothing wrong with that idea . . . it just involves a little ‘fuzzy thinking.’ God is omnipotent and sovereign. He can do anything He wants, any way He wants. He doesn’t need me (or you) to do anything for Him. We can’t add a single thing to what He’s created. But when He invites us to participate in what He’s doing, it’s for our benefit! It’s His gift to us. God loves us . . . He’s invited us into the ‘work of the Gospel’ to give us an abundant life, not because He needs us per se.
I believe God values us as His sons and daughters. When we obey His command to go ‘make disciples,’ we get great joy. I’ve watched countless guys ‘light up’ as they experience the Great Commission personally for the first time as Radical Mentors. I think it was Nate Larkin who said, “Something changes in a man when he first takes responsibility for the spiritual growth of another person.” Totally true.
It’s hard . . . no it’s impossible to decide prospectively to be ‘used of God.’ We can obey Him and make ourselves available, but we’ll only be able to see how we were used retrospectively. We rarely know when He uses us in the lives of others. We ‘plant seeds’ but rarely see them bloom. It’s His gift to us when we get to see the fruit of our lives and our labors. It’s His encouragement for us . . . both to remind us how much He loves us and to build our faith in Him and His work of redemption. I doubt Mary Magdalene was motivated to be ‘used of God’ when she broke that alabaster jar and poured ridiculously-valuable perfume on Jesus head. Acting from pure love, the disciples thought what she’d done was useless, even wasteful. But Jesus said, “She has done a good work for me.” (Mark 14:6). That’s what I’m talking about!
Love is doing for God, not because it’s useful or your duty or there’s anything in it for you, but because you love Him. If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. God wants us to give Him things that are valuable . . . things like our hearts, our desires, our future hopes and dreams, our personalities, our souls. He’ll take those things and make them useful as He chooses and when He chooses. We’ll discover how He used us after the fact, maybe even after this life is over.
A lot of us think we have to be ‘holy’ for God to use us. Not true. To be surrendered to God is even more valuable to Him than our personal holiness. Personal holiness leads us to focus on ourselves while surrender lead us to focus on Him. Once totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.
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Responses (3)
Samson was the greatest champion in all of Israel’s history. He was also a man with deep faults. Yet, he is included,along with Gideon,in the list of the faithful (Hebrews 11:32). His final act of valor shows us, that in the brokenness of his last days, he had come to depend on the Lord. He did not became a hero of faith by his righteous acts, rather by trusting God to use him.
‘Used by God’ has been a grail search by me. He has blessed me financially & personally- literally saved my life. I spent a bit of time wondering ‘Why?’ I am now sitting 30KM south of the Macedonian border in Greece trying to provide aid to refugees thanks to a slightly bruised heart. I believe God still speaks to men & women, uses them for His greater purpose.
I have watched this situation unfold in Greece for several months and received several ‘nudges’ to stop looking & start doing. How many times in my life I have thought that someone should ‘do something’. It’s me or us that he expects to move.
Got the memo, Lord – I’m moving!
Amen