The Man God Uses: Moved from the Ordinary to the Extraordinary
I could just as well have titled this one Hope! Because that is what I wrote in big caps across the page.
In this study, Blackaby focuses on the lifetime of experiences that we each have and how God uses them to His purposes.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,
Much of the material today was focused around Moses. He needed 80 years of refining before God could use him. Hope! I’m barely half that age! God can still use me, even if I’ve done things that should disqualify me. After all, unlike Moses, I haven’t murdered anyone.
One of Blackaby’s statements reminded me of that poem, Footprints in the Sand. He said
Do you understand that God walked with you through those trials to prepare you for a ministry to others?
I don’t really think about it but yeah, God was always there to turn to when I was at my lowest points. No matter that I’d been there and done that before, He was still there, waiting to be asked. And He can use every single good or bad experience I’ve had to further His purposes in this life. I just have to recognize the opportunities as they arise and submit myself to His control.
One thing that is important for me to remember is that He uses successes as well as failures. Extremely important for me to realize this because I tend to focus upon the misery of the world and overlook that successful people need God too. Obviously, they tend to overlook it as well, choosing in many cases to attribute their success to their hard work and tenaciousness.
As well, it is important to remember that character is not just shaped by crisis or success, it is revealed in them. How I react to a given situation is a clear indicator of the character that I have developed through my life experiences.
So, no matter how down I feel, how bleak my outlook is, I can rest assured that not only is He walking beside me, he is molding me to be used as an instrument for His good purposes.
Jeremiah 18:6 “I, the Lord, say: ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter’s hand.’
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