September 23, 2018 I was talking with one of the other moms last week while watching my daughter do gymnastics, and through a number of topics, I ended up sharing with her our hopes of moving overseas to serve Jesus. She got tears in her eyes, and after apologizing for her tears, shared that she has been in her church her whole life, but in the last year has really developed a relationship with Jesus. She also shared that she and her husband feel like God is calling them overseas, but they don’t have a clear vision of where or when yet. She reported some hesitancy in her qualification, however, saying, “We’re just normal people, a real estate agent and a broker.” Maybe you're in the same boat, asking God if He can use someone like you.
What Kind of People Does God Use?
It doesn’t matter if you want to serve Jesus here or in another culture or country, you might thinking, “I don’t have valuable skills, I’m just an ordinary person, etc.” Well, let me remind you of who Jesus called to be His faithful few - the majority of them were fishermen! Men with very ordinary jobs that supplied for their families; nothing fancy, nothing glamorous. What made these ordinary men so extraordinary? They said yes to Jesus! Simple as that. They said yes to follow Him, yes to obey Him, and yes to believe all that He said. And do you know what they did? They transformed communities, turned cities upside down, saw people healed, delivered, and saved - sometimes by the thousands! Not because they were something special in and of themselves, but because Christ was in them.
How Does God Want to Use Me?
Whatever your trade and your skill set, whatever your job or your current life roles are, God wants to use you! The beauty of ordinary people doing ordinary, or interesting jobs, is that we're able to love the other ordinary people around us. We can relate with them, have an easy way to find common ground, have a conversation, and be in a position where we can model diligence, Godly character, and a servant heart. We can show them the joy of the Lord that's greater than our circumstances, and that is a powerful testimony! So, while God may want you to get trained in a certain area, he may not - ask Him! Either way, whatever tools you bring, they’re just tools. They’re not the hope of nations. Our western culture and our western medicine don’t transform the world, but the gospel DOES! The power of Jesus and faith in His name - that brings true healing and change! The God you carry with you (for He says He dwells in you), He is the hope of nations!
What Ways Can God Use Me?
I so encourage you to say yes to Jesus, to obey His commands (for they are good) and to follow Him to your coworkers, your family, your neighbors, and to the ends of the earth - wherever He leads you! And trust that He can, and will, do mighty things through you when you say yes to Him, when you choose to believe and obey His word. I challenge you to ask Him how you can use your trade and your skills to bring hope to your neighbors and to the nations, because if He can make fishermen into fishers of men, he can use your trade to do the same! It doesn't have to be extravagant, and it doesn't have to look like anyone else. Start small! Ask God how He wants you to bless someone today. Maybe that's practically, and maybe it's spiritually; oftentimes it's both. If He nudges you to talk with someone you wouldn't normally, say yes! If He asks you to pray for someone in the grocery store, do it! If He asks you to open your home and show hospitality to someone, make some cookies and coffee, put your phone away and be present with them. When you tie obedience to faith, even in seemingly small ways, God does amazing things, and it is so fun to be a part of it! Look at what Jesus did, He showed up! He stopped for the One, He prayed, He shared meals, He spent time with people.
If you need more encouragement, you should read Hebrews 11. Heck, even if you don’t think you need more encouragement, you should read Hebrews 11! Sometimes termed, “The Hall of Faith,” It is the testimony of God’s people - shepherds, farmers, laborers, etc. who saw the God of miracles work miracles among them and through them, because they “judged Him faithful who had promised (Hebrews 11:11).”
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