Today is 'Martin Luther King, Jr. Day' and we pause to remember a great man and his dream. Perfect? Not by any means, but he was used by God to help bring freedom to the captives, the oppressed and underpriviledged.
There's a mindset in many Christian circles that says we must be perfect before God can or will use us. This is a lie conjured up by the Devil. Should we strive for excellence- YES! We should do everything with considerable heart- as if to God Himself. Just don't obsess about being perfect or putting in a show-stopping performance every time.
Every great man or woman of God fell in some way, but they kept getting up, dusting off and trying again. They had the courage to do so because they understood the heart of God. He is patient, kind, merciful and forgiving.
Moses killed a man, Joseph spent time in prison, David committed adultery, Abraham & Solomon had more than 1 wife, Noah got drunk, Rahab was a whore, Peter had a bad temper, Gideon was a bit of a scaredy-cat, but God called and used them anyway- He could see that in their hearts they loved Him and wanted to do good.
I know a lady who NEVER invites friends over to her house. Her house is lovely, but with 3 children, it's often cluttered and she doesn't feel worthy of company- unless her house is perfectly clean, so she just won't relax and lay out the welcome mat. Apparently, she doesn't know that a true friend will enjoy spending time with you, even if your house is less than perfect. I feel sad for her. She is missing out on the blessing of hospitality and her friends all have complexes thinking they aren't good enough to be invited to her home. When the day comes for her to reflect on her life, it's likely she may regret that she didn't have friends over.
I have wasted much of my life trying to perfect myself, my image & presentation. I missed the opportunity to help others because I was so focused on myself, basing my idea of perfection on church teachings, upon what others thought of me & the opinions I was constantly receiving. Broken? Who me?? Now that I have seen the love of God on a deeper level, it's okay to admit I'm broken and I'm comfortable hanging out with other broken vessels. We can spend our lives and mental energy trying to make ourselves whole, unbroken vessels or we can allow God to use us where we are- TODAY. When a neighbor is hungry, they don't care whether or not you're perfect- they simply appreciate the food you bring. A drowning person doesn't wait for a perfect LifeGuard to come along- they don't care as long as they are saved. When a hiker is lost in a snowstorm, they don't give a snit whether the lodging is immaculate or the decor bright & shiny- they just want a place to get warm.
We can move forward in confidence and live with courage. God has used many flawed people like you & me for the greater good!
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7 comments:
TL, I have had a terrible cold the last few days and just catching up on my net friends. I am so glad to read in you last entry about the house, thank God that it looks like it will turn out well for you on the sale. Will keep praying for you.
Thanks so much for your comments on my posts, they mean a lot. I do have issues to work out but knowing the awesome love of God is not one of them. Gonna go and post something that will explain some of it.
You are so right. If we just "get out of ourselves" we could focus on more important things in our life. We have no hope of ever being perfect anyway.
TL - great post. True community, true Christian community, begins with the admission that we are broken, and humble ourselves before God - when we are unable to do that, focusing on the material rather than the spiritual, we wind up missing out on God's grace for us.
The woman of whom you speak unfortunately has bought into the lie that the Enemy has - and I know all too many professed believers who have fallen into this kind of trap as well.
Excellent stuff.
Broken. When we are broken, we are usable.
We don't have to be perfect, just willing to do as God says.
Thanks for this post. It means a lot.
Right now, my life has taken a huge change, because of just a few simple changes that we made. God is good. My smile is back and things I was afraid to embrace before I'm not longer afraid to express my joy in. No more holding back. There is too much work to do for God to hold back the passion for the lost.
Brotherken, I hope you are feeling better very soon and look forward to reading more of your thoughts.
Ginger's Mom, Amen!!
Hi Diana, thanks for stopping by. I agree that we would be great friends. :o)
Andy, I have come to think that God allows me to take wrong paths in order to learn the lessons I need to learn- not always fun, but always interesting.
Rose, Glad to hear your New Year is off to a good start!! :o)
My good friend Martin Zender says we all are "Flawed by Design", to prove that God can use us all for good. You might want to get that little book. It is well worth a read. In addition, you can read it in a couple of hours.
http://www.martinzender.com
Look under books. There will be a short review of the book.
Good post and you're right. Anybody that has ever seriously read Scripture knows that you don't have to be perfect to be used by God...
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