February 19, 2009
"Therefore, tell Israel, 'Message of God, the Master: I'm not doing this for you, Israel. I'm doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you've blackened in every country where you've gone. I'm going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes. "'For here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!” –Ezekiel 36: 22-28
I have a great respect for Ezekiel; I really do. He had to deliver God’s word to a people who were trippin’. Israel, the chosen ones, had lost their minds! They did what they wanted to do, lived how they wanted to live, said what they wanted to say and thought how they wanted to think. Israel became the brunt of harsh jokes and the target of attacks. And all the while people were saying “Wait…aren’t those the Israelites? Those are God’s people acting like that? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Then God got fed up; He became tired of His name being trampled. He had enough of people believing that serving Him meant living any way they pleased. So what did He do? He chose to restore Israel- not for their benefit. He restored Israel for HIS glory so that those who believed Israel’s way of life was synonymous with that of the way of the Lord would know otherwise. How blessed are we when God uses us despite of who we are and what we’ve done?
There are some benefits of being used by God for His glory. The Israelites got their land restored, their things back, a new heart and spirit that would yield to the Master’s work. We get some things, as well. Of course we get those tangible blessings that people can see: we get a house; we could a car; we get a job; we get stable relationships; we get those things that are evidence of God’s work in our lives. But we also get those things that manifest inwardly. When God uses us, He places within us a desire to live solely for Him. We read His word more. We talk to Him more. We listen to Him more. We recognize the need to mold our lives in a way that people can say “Wow! They belong to God and you can tell it, too!”
Sunday, I spent the evening with my extended family. It’s a group of 15 of us and several of us hung out at Sherrod and Lisa’s house. June 30 will make two years they’ve been married. They are one of the best representations of allowing God to use you and honoring His use. They have a beautiful home, blessings abound and they are about to embark on a new chapter of God’s purpose for their family. But Sherrod and Lisa also have the favor and grace of God. If you ask them their secret, they’ll tell you it is simply: God. They are not perfect; none of us are. But The Lord uses them to show that a righteous life is the only one to live. He can use us all- if He chooses. And aren’t you glad He does?
©BirthRight, 2009
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