But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (II Corinthians 9:6-8 NKJV)
God is not a liar!
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. (Acts 4:13-14 NJKV)
You are more than qualified to be used by the Lord!
There is something in each of us that tends to tell us we are disqualified from being used by the Lord. We eliminate ourselves from the opportunity to be used by Him. We disqualify ourselves because…. I have not been to Bible school. I have not done anything amazing. I am just a [fill in the blank about job position]. I did not go to church last week.
Listen, the Lord knows your weaknesses and yet still chooses to use you. In fact, His plan all along has been to use you. I love this passage of scripture because Peter and John are the guys who would have disqualified themselves had they not received an understanding of who they were in Christ. Ultimately our ability to be used starts with knowing who we are in Christ Jesus.
Peter and John were clearly not educated. The educated men of the city said so. (Insert sarcasm) However, the power of the Lord certainly was flowing through them because this man was healed, and the rulers and elders could not deny this truth.
God is not limited. Scripture is clear that He knows our weaknesses. In fact, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” So why are we removing ourselves from the opportunity to be used by the Lord?
I want to live my life as Paul did. I want to evaluate my limitations and give God thanks for moving through me in those very areas; it is clear then that it was Him and not me. I know I am weak. I know I am not qualified. I know that there are better options out there. I also know He chose me. He wants to use me. And when He chooses to use me, it will be clear it is Him because people will look at me as they did Peter and John. They will say similar things: “That guy is uneducated. That guy does not have the resources for that. That guy is this or that,” and my response will be, “You are right, but where I am weak, then I am strong because Christ lives within me!”
He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. (Psalms 147:10-11 NKJV)
Can we fix it? Yes we can!
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. (Ezekiel 47:1, 8 NKJV)
Daily Devotional 