God wants to use you!

Do you ever wonder if Paul sat down with Peter and asked him to tell about the day he walked on the water to Jesus?  Our Pastors and Sunday School teachers often regale us with personal stories of how God has helped them, so I can’t help but think the apostles did the same as they faced the early treacherous days of Christianity.  Can’t you hear Paul asking Peter why did he let his faith weaken?  And Peter telling him to try walking on stormy waters and see how far he would get! 

As I read I Peter 1, I noticed how it re-established the thoughts mom had written about “right thinking”.  He admonishes us to “gird up the loins of our minds” in verse 13.  This is the same man whose faith waivered on more than one occasion.  This is the same man who saw the true nature of Christ at the Transfiguration and yet actually denied Christ!  Yet, here he is telling us to not waiver in our hope of God!  God inspired Peter to pen these words, that means God wanted to and DID use a man who had once lost faith and lost hope. 

God wants to use each and every one of you reading this blog.  He has a plan for your day today.  It does not matter if this year has been one big spiritual failure.  He still has plans for a vessel that can be used to His Glory!  Just like He had plans for Peter, Paul and others.  You are no different.  He calls for us to be holy, to gird up the loins of our minds and cleave to Him in all we do.  He has not changed in His desire for His children to walk closely with Him!  Look at Deuteronomy 4:4. 

Deuteronomy 4:4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

Moses is talking to the children of Israel about their passing over Jordan and entering the land God had promised them.  He goes on to admonish them to never forget all that they had seen.  He reminds them of the day God spoke to them and gave them the commandments to live by and encourages them to walk in the law, staying close to God!  He didn’t beat them over their heads for their disbelief or their complaining, rather he reminds them to put God first at all times. 

Peter must have felt like the worst of all the Christians because everyone knew he had denied the Lord.  He had errors in doctrine that had to be publicly corrected and I am sure that made him feel like he couldn’t be worth much.  And yet, here he is telling us to gird up.  That gives the picture of the way the people in his day would tuck their long robes into their belts so they could work or move readily.  Peter must have had to ignore the desire to dwell on his past failures more than once and he knew the importance of thinking correctly. 

Do you need to make some spiritual changes before starting another brand new year?  If so, make them.  Don’t waste time, make haste!  Gird up those thoughts in your mind and get back to the heart of the matter which is walking with God in every area, believing in the hope that is in Christ that He is just and faithful.  God wants to use you.  God wants your mouth to speak and sing praise.  God wants your life to shine bright in a testimony of His goodness.  These things can’t happen as long as you wallow around in self pity over your failures.  God knows we are weak creatures.  He knows what so and so did to you that caused you to lose faith and hope.  He is willing to work with you and me in our lives if we will but surrender all of it to Him.

Get up, go to Him.  Lay out your life as it is and tell Him there isn’t much you can do about 2015, but 2016 is His.  Peter and Paul may be heroes to us because of their lives being told in the Holy Scriptures, but don’t forget, they were only human men with the same hangups we have.  They got up in the morning with bad breath and bags under their eyes just like we do.  They got aggravated with the other disciples and church members just like we do!  They didn’t have any extra help in their lives than what is afforded to you and me today.  But they are examples of what can happen when we take our eyes off our past and look at God to see what He wants in the future!

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri