A thing no longered marred

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (2 Peter 2:9-10)

Too many of us overlook the "as a result" in this passage. Because we are chosen by God, made into a holy body of believers, we can show others the way to find grace. There are times we feel like God could never use our story or talents, but nothing is further from the truth. We all have been called to move away from darkness into the light of his grace. We may not occupy a pulpit, but we have a story to tell and it begins with grace.

Once we had no identity worth speaking of, but that all changed the moment we said yes to Jesus. What did mercy change in your life? How did God's grace make a difference in your choices? There is a message in the answers to those questions. A message you are uniquely fitted to share right there in your circle of influence. If you don't tell it, who will?

Many times we think God will use the beautiful, but I have found many a thing someone else labeled as junk and brought it back to a thing of beauty to be used in a totally different way. Maybe this is what God does with us. He takes what has been labeled as junk and remakes it by grace. Then the thing that once had a somewhat marred and stained past becomes a thing of beauty to be used anew in his hands. Perhaps we should see ourselves as he does. Just sayin!

Used

God has given me His loving-favor. This helps me write these things to you. I ask each one of you not to think more of himself than he should think. Instead, think in the right way toward yourself by the faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

I allowed these words to sink in a bit this morning because there are just some days when I sit to study and write my blog, but nothing 'new' or 'exciting' comes. I just read, reread, and then attempt something. Ever have those moments? This morning I think God was showing me there is no 'thing' within me that writes these blogs - it is HIM in me that helps me write them! The thought crossed my mind that there are others who might be reading this post today who feel like God will never, or could never do anything good through their lives. The word to you today is this - God has given you his loving-favor AND because of that, you are able to do the things he has designed for you to do. There aren't going to be big flashing lights, screaming sirens, or messages written on the wall to convince you that God is within you and has a specific purpose for your life - so stop looking for those things. In fact, he already has given you all the assurance you need. His presence within you stands as an assurance that his calling is on your life - now get up and do whatever it is he has called you to do!

Perhaps one of the hardest things we struggle with is a feeling of 'certainty' that we are proceeding in the right direction for our lives. I am in the midst of doing some remodeling that needed to be done for some time now, but with mom's failing health I didn't want to have her environment upended. Now that mom has passed, I have begun to do all those things that I put off for quite some time and it isn't always easy knowing how to proceed, in what order things should be done, and how well I can get these things done without going over my budget. I was having a dickens of a time trying to find a vanity and counter top that would replace the one in my bathroom (over 30 year old counters and shower needing to be replaced). I searched high and low, but with COVID shortages abounding, the selections were abysmal. It would take me longer to get any I liked than the start date for the contractor to do the work, so I was struggling with moving forward. You know what helped? My daughter's words spoken back to me - words she said I tell her all the time - but words I needed to hear myself!

Those words? She simply reminded me that I needed to pray on it that night, ask God to settle my heart, and if I did not have peace by the morning, not to proceed. Well, isn't she just the smartest girl ever! If you have ever had one of your kids 'speak back' your own words as they get a little older in life, you know there comes this overwhelming sense of 'hey, they were actually listening' kind of moment. Sometimes we think no one is paying attention to us, or that our life-efforts don't really amount to much, but trust me on this one...someone is always watching, listening, observing to learn. We may not know it, but they are! We don't have to have the clearest of direction to know how to proceed in life, we just have to use the direction we have and then begin to walk. In time, the direction becomes clearer and the determination needs to be doubled. Yes, the walk can be hard and the destination not so clear, but here is the hard truth - if we don't ever set out, we won't ever get anywhere! That one was free. Now, back to our passage - God doesn't just 'save' us so we can sit on a shelf looking pretty. He asks us to be 'used' in his kingdom. Maybe it isn't teaching or preaching - but you could sew face masks for the homeless, or help out an elderly neighbor with their yard work. It isn't about us - it is about him being used through us. Just sayin!

Are you using what you have?

Have you ever fallen behind? Your peers are so far ahead of you that you can barely see their backs any longer and you have 'forever' still to go...what is your reaction? You could just stop, sit down on the side of the trail, and give up - it would be the easiest thing to do after all. You could call out to see if anyone would come back to help you out a little, pulling you, pushing you, and somehow getting you to move again. You could even just cheat a little by just not even covering that ground your peers have covered and just jump ahead to wherever they are, but what would you have missed in the journey? It is easier to fall behind than to catch up. It is easier to feel defeat than it is to experience elation over success at times, isn't it? The thing is that God doesn't want us to be defeated in our walk, or even 'falling behind' in any respect. He wants us to be strong, encouraged, built up, and moving on. To that end, he provides us with not only the 'tools' to keep us on track, strong, and moving forward, but also all the encouragement we could need along the way.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:12-13 MSG

We might just not realize it, but we have all the tools at our disposal to actually complete this race called 'life'. We might not think so at first, but our toolbox is full! I have been accumulating various tools over the years in hopes of eventually having my own workshop and enough time on my hands to actually use them all! I'd have to say I have a lot of tools, but the more I read up on woodworking, the more I realize there are other tools I may need down the road. The good news is that our 'toolbox' that God gives us is not half-equipped - - - it is fully equipped with all we could ever need, long before we even realize how to use what is in there or realize that we have any need for some of that stuff!

I have a biscuit cutting tool, several different types of sanders, various chisels, and even a few odds and ends that have never been used in my shop. The thing is that we learn to use some tools and then we leave others in the box or on the shelf totally unused. We don't exactly know how beneficial they can be to us, so we haven't incorporated them into our lives yet. I had a router for almost six months before I even took it out of the box - not because I didn't see the benefit of having one, but because I was afraid to use it! I didn't want to mess things up in the projects I was making, so I avoided it. Once I opened it up, experimented with a few bits, the wonder of how this tool works came alive to me. Now I need to find projects that will help me develop my skill with this tool! 

Too many times we have at our disposal all we need in a particular situation, but we discount the value of what we have been given. We don't appreciate it until we actually take what we have and put it into use. The various 'tools' God gives us are ALL designed for some purpose in our lives. We can have a 'comfort level' with many of them, but then neglect others. We might read the Word well, going there frequently, but if we neglect to use the 'tool' of prayer and meditation, we are limiting the effectiveness of the one 'tool' we have become proficient using! You might not realize that prayer, meditation, encouraging conversation with others, and even challenges from others, are all tools God uses in our lives from time to time. If we want to stay in this race, we need all the tools in the box to be put to full use! Just sayin!