“I would like to be used by and for God,” I said to Stan one morning, “but I’m just so ordinary I can’t see how that’s possible.”
“You ever heard of the expression, ‘Put your best foot forward’?” he asked.
“Of course,” I replied, “but what if my ‘best foot’ isn’t all that great?”
“From whose standpoint?” Stan asked. “Yours or God’s?”
“Is there a difference?”
“Sure is,” Stan replied. “Every single person God uses for His purposes is ordinary at the beginning. It was true with all of the famous characters in the Bible that God used for His purposes, it was true down through the ages, and it’s true today.”
Continuing, he asked, “Do you know why?”
“I don’t,” I responded. “Why?”
“That’s all God has to work with — ordinary people. His presence is what changes them from being ordinary to being extraordinary. I also think that’s what can and will happen with your best foot, even though you may not think it’s so great.”
“How so?”
“Give it to God and He will do with it exactly what He wants. That will turn your foot into the absolutely ‘best foot’ and it will turn what you consider ordinary into extraordinary.”
“So,” I said, “If I say to God, ‘This is the best foot I’ve got; it’s not so great, but it’s all I have. Take it and do with it what you want,’ you think He will do something with it?”
“Not only your foot,” Stan replied, “but your leg, your body, your entire life. You give it all to Him and be prepared for the Holy Spirit to turn what you consider just an ordinary person into what God uses as an extraordinary one!”
“You know,” I said, “this whole subject kind of reminds me of the story of the widow’s mite.”
“That’s another story for another day,” Stan replied, “but you’re right. Even though it wasn’t much, the widow gave all she had, and Jesus said that was a good thing.”
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Bible verses to consider:
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts of the Apostles 4:13.
The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated.” John 7:15.
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts of the Apostles 4:31.
And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” Luke 21:3-4.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you use people for your purposes, and that you will use me just as you want when I get myself out of the way and allow you to do so. I confess that too often I do not give all or any part of me to you for your purposes. Please forgive the foolishness of that self-focus, and please help me to follow every step of your lead in surrendering all of me to you for whatever purposes you have in mind. Thank you for the privilege of being used by and for you, and thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you surrendered yourself to God in the sense of accepting His free and gracious provision of life eternally with Him when it’s time? If no, why? If you do have the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with surrendering yourself to God for whatever He wants while He keeps you on this side of eternity? Do you believe God can change an ordinary person into an extraordinary one? Why or why not? If you sense the need for change in how you give yourself to God for His purposes, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 