God Uses all Of Us

September 14, 2009 by David Ashcraft
Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.
--Acts 6:8
Stephen, the first martyr of the church, died at an early age. This weekend in Raleigh, two young people died in senseless automobile accidents. And by all accounts, the two local people were outstanding Christians. Some might look at the way Stephen and these two people died and think, What a waste! But in the words of Jim Elliot, another young martyr for the faith, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Earlier this summer, we studied about the local church and the talents various members have. We did not spend much time asking questions such as, What kind of person does God look for to use for His glory? What qualifies a person to be selected by God to be His instrument? Is it a towering intellect or how many PhD's person has on the wall? Do you have to be physically attractive? Do you need to be a born leader? How about someone who is a little timid? What about the person who isn't the most physically attractive? What about people whom many would classify as ordinary? Is there a place for someone like that?

As we read throughout the Bible, we find that God uses the most common people to do his work. Ordinary people doing extraordinary work. Many of us in CrossWalk are evidence that God can use all of us. If we are willing to be used.

So why does God do this? We find the answer in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29:Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Are you willing to be the ordinary person that God chooses to do something miraculous?