Passage: 1 Timothy 1
Ever feel ‘small’ and insignificant?
Is God calling you to do something that you feel is unreachable, unattainable? Is He asking you to do something that requires you to be more bold in your faith?
We’ve been reading 1 Timothy 1 these past few weeks. One of the things that has stuck out in my mind is Paul’s gratitude for God’s mercy. Paul is so thankful that God had appointed him. I have underlined some of the key words in this passage.
Paul’s Gratitude for God’s Mercy
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Timothy 1:12-14
Sometimes in life we face real fears or doubts and think, can God really use me?
The answer is yes He can and He wants to use you!
16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. ~ 1 Timothy 1:16
Satan would love for us to feel useless, insecure and stuck. Feeling stuck is really silly if you think about it. Our Pastor shared this video and I thought I’d share here too. It really puts feeling ‘stuck’ into perspective. Click here to watch it.
In this passage we read about how God gave Paul, spiritual strength. God considered him trustworthy and appointed him to do His will. This should encourage us all to know that God wants to use us too. I know this is a Bible story from years ago, but if Paul were alive today and we saw the before and after we would truly believe that God is willing to use anyone. Truth is that He is willing to use anyone that is willing and faithful.
I am reminded of a sermon we heard at family camp this past summer about how God fed the 5000 with a little boys lunch. Imagine a crowd of 5000 people and God wanted to use this little boy and involve him in on the miracle to teach his own disciples a lesson. You see God doesn’t really need us. As you read about the miracles you can observe how Jesus likes to invite people in on being a part of it. He wants to work through us and with us. This is honoring and truly amazing however few of us will ever fully enter into what that can look like. We have fears, insecurities and we feel stuck. These are all lies from Satan. God never has once told us that we should feel insecure or fearful or stuck. We should only fear God Himself. He has in fact fully equipped us with the ability to do many things through His strength. Put yourself in a parent role for a minute. Your child is too afraid to try anything new, or they feel as though they don’t deserve what you are giving them, so they live without it. They suffer, they wish, they hope, but they just won’t use the resources right in front of them to accomplish their dreams and goals. They are stuck and afraid.
We see a big problem or a really big need and we wonder if we can do anything to help. We can choose to ignore it out of fear or the doubt that we can’t do anything to help, or we can ask God to use us and help us to be faithful. But the resources get smaller and smaller and less and less. We blame others for our problems, we complain and get discouraged. We think doubtfully that God must not have had a plan and it was all a crazy idea in our heads. No…dear friend that is Satan and his lies. Resources get small and less simply because Jesus is going to step in. We need to trust HIM. Why would God show up where it wasn’t obvious? He wants to use us but He also wants others to see through us that it was not anything we could have humanly done on our own. He wants the world to see miracles in us and through us.
I pray we have open minds about how God may want to use us. I pray we don’t ignore His voice. I pray we cling to our faith until the battle is won.
19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. ~ 1 Timothy 1:19
Don’t deliberately ignore what God is calling you do. God loves you and has a plan for you but Satan also has a plan. If you don’t feel as though you can give back or help in the way God is calling you to do so, perhaps a little self examination is needed. Often our own guilt and shame from the sin we love can keep us from doing what our conscience is telling us. Don’t violate your conscience and become shipwrecked in your faith. God wants to use YOU as an example and make you a part of the miracle today!
in the clay,
Chantal Dube