So it is with us. Our
creator God has a perfect plan for the redemption, and salvation of man from
the cancerous evil that surrounds and ensnares him. But though His designs are perfect, His tools
(being us) are far from it. We are the
most dysfunctional and broken tools to ever be employed in any plan ever
devised, let alone the MOST important plan ever devised.
Let’s face it, we do NOT represent the character of our God,
or His ideals very well in our own characters and actions. When non-believers look at men, they see
nothing but faults, inconsistencies, weaknesses, addiction, and hypocrisy. The work of our God in fixing these
deficiencies is enormous, and His progress is slow due to our lack of
willingness to surrender to His better designs.
So when men look at men they do not see God very well. Yet we are supposed to be His children, His
representatives, His spokespeople here on this earth. Perhaps this is why above all other reasons
we should point each other to look to Christ as the standard to which we should
strive, not to another person. Only
Christ lived out a perfect life, only His life is worth imitation and
emulation. We remain broken.
And to add insult to injury, our communication with God is
sporadic and prejudicial at best. Not
because God has not made every effort to talk with us, and teach us who He
is. He provided the natural world around
us to show us His love for us – from the beauty of it all, to the functionality
of it all, to the pure enjoyment we have with it. Stop for a second to consider what would be a
really good vacation you could go on.
Imagine for a minute a beach-based holiday beginning in Maui, then on to
Fiji, then to Capri on the Mediterranean, and finally to the Bahamas; I dare
say the water is fine. Or perhaps you
would enjoy a skiing vacation starting in Vale, then to the Swiss Alps. Or do you enjoy Safari to watch wildlife in
their natural settings? The wonders of
this earth even after all the pollution we created are still breathtaking. The less we damage them, the more
breathtaking they are. But we seldom
take from Nature the messages of love and care God is sending us.
We have the written word of God to us in the form of the
Bible. But we tend to read it to prove
something. Instead of being explorers on
a journey of discovery (like in Nature), we read it like investigative
journalists out to prove our own views are more scripturally based than our
neighbor’s. We read it for
vindication. We read it to inflict
judgment on others. We read it to
condemn, not to redeem, and thus, we read it wrong. Like trying to read Mandarin instructions on
furniture that requires assembly, we do not get the messages God is trying to
send us. Our communication is clouded
not because what the text says is unclear, but because our hearts lack love,
lack empathy, and do not discern it’s real meaning very often. Were we to read in humility, and ask for the
Spirit’s guidance more often we would gain far more knowledge than we thought
possible. But for now, communication is
less than stellar.
And in this environment, with evil working out its own
designs with brutal efficiency, come us the broken tool set. We are supposed to be used by God to work out
His will. This after all is the highest
calling in the Universe. All the
unfallen beings who exist in perfection, exist in eager anticipation of serving
the Most High. They long to do His
will. We run from it. It is like herding cats, to get us to do
anything, particularly when our own self-interest is not at stake. We spend our time in entertaining ourselves,
or engaged in work to support ourselves, or doing some other obligation we feel
obliged to do. Time for service to God
takes a backseat, and is nearly a last priority. Like that promise husbands make to their
wives to fix something around the house – they mean to do it. They are planning on doing it. They just never quite seem to get around to
doing it.
This of course reduces the tool-set God actually has
available to Him down to a very small number of tools. It is not the worthiness of the tool that is
picked for a job, but the willingness of the tool itself. We sometimes get an idea that there are those
of us who are somehow “special”. We
rationalize that people like Moses, Noah, or Abraham are “called of God” and
therefore selected by God making them special; whereas we are mere mortals who
feel no special calling. What is
incorrect in this thinking is our continued lack of willingness to be used, and
their eventual agreement to it. We keep
saying no to God, and thus are not selected.
Those Biblical heroes of the faith, were WILLING to be used and so they
were.
But being a great instrument in God’s plan did not make any
of them less human. They continued to
struggle with sins before, during, and after the call or journey God sent them
on. Moses was a great leader but not a
perfect one. He could not control his
temper, even after 100 years of trying.
Noah liked drinking in excess, even after the flood. Abraham, even with all his faith, lies about
his wife to protect himself from a powerful lustful king of Egypt. The account of their weaknesses in the Bible
record is yet another proof of its accuracy.
A human writer, with a human agenda would have omitted completely or
radically downplayed the weaknesses of the heroes of the stories in their works
to reinforce the point. But God would
have us see the imperfections of others, to realize that He does not demand
perfection from us, but willingness from us.
God works with us despite our weaknesses, and even our
failures. The people of Israel were led
into the promised land despite Moses losing his temper. Noah lived 900 years despite his love of
drink (somewhere around 400 of them after the flood). Abraham’s wife was not defiled, and was
restored to him untouched through a miracle God performed despite the lie
Abraham had told. And an heir came to
him when he was 100 years old. The plans
of God worked through despite all the barriers we place in front of them. Christ told the criticizing priests that if
the people were made to be quiet on His triumphal ride into Jerusalem that even
the stones would cry out in praise.
Prophecy will be fulfilled. Plans
will be completed. Missions will be
accomplished with or without you or I as participants.
We are not excluded from the plans of God due to His lack of
invitation; but due to our constantly ignoring it, and turning away from
it. God cherishes His broken tools. He longs to repair each of them, to restore
them to their full potential, but the tools keep running away. God has mercy on His erring tool sets. If He did not we would not last a day, not
one of us. He patiently waits for us to
learn of His love, and stop our foolish condemnation of each other. He works hard with us to get us to see Him
more clearly, while we spend time chasing others away from Him, in His own Name
with our viewpoints and our opinions.
Despite our lack of usability, despite our unwillingness to change or
conform to His will, despite our continued embracing of evil intent and action;
God still longs to use us in His service.
The magnitude of this slaughters me. The thought that I might make a difference in
the life of another, that I might actually help another to see God, to learn
something more of God’s love – with my pitiful existence, is more than I can
fathom. For I see in me, only the most
broken of any tool in the case. I know
my own unworthiness. I ache at how often
I must come back to the throne of grace and ask forgiveness for the same old
sin, again and again. I loathe my own
weakness and addictions to evil, and cannot imagine why God would still want to
use me. So I decide to look beyond
everything I know about me, all the facts of evil related to me, and my
complete substandard representation of Him; and put myself at the foot of the
cross anyway, and ask to be used.
Despite it all, I will be willing, and so will be used.
The reality of this is not to be trifled with. Asking God to use you in His plans is not a
prayer that goes unanswered. And it is
not one where “no” is a possible response.
If you are willing, God will use you.
As sure as there is a creator God, He will employ you in His
service. Your calling may not be to rise
as Moses, Noah, or Abraham; but to serve
is enough for those who see the brokenness of their own conditions. To serve God can start today. It requires nothing but willingness. You do not have to wait until you see Heaven
to begin serving God, you can start right now, when it counts even more. For the battles are not over yet, the rewards
are not come yet, and there are so many around you, who still need to know who
God is, what love is all about, and why love reaches even you, even them …
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