HOW TO BE USEFUL TO GOD

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO GOD.

No,

I am not an expert on the subject.

But I have picked up on the clue which

 is my desire to pass on to you.

Back ground, or research if that would

make you feel any better.  I have "attempted"

to live for God for over sixty years.  That does

not count my years of growing up.  And of 

course that includes a lot of experience and 

not all of that has been good.  A lot of that 

has been failure.  That includes many years

of observation of the lives of other people,

both successful and unsuccessful.

During those sixty or more years I have

been a diligent reader of the Holy Bible

having read it well over one hundred times.

No, that does not necessarily make me smart.

And of course have studied it for years 

attempting to teach it now and then.

But probably one of the most instructive things

I have run across, at least as far as my current

subject is, the reading of dozens and dozens

of biographies.  For myself, one of the most

encouraging things spiritually apart from the 

Bible is the biographies of successful men and

women of God.  Reading them is encouraging

to me.

But in all this reading something has stood 

out to me.  Some of these People were highly

educated.  And some could not read or right

enough to spell their own name.

Some of them came from wealthy situations,

and some were as poor as dirt.

Some of these people had very strong physical

constitutions.  And some these people were

sickly by nature.

Some of these successful people were outgoing

and charismatic by nature.  And some of these

successful people used of God were retiring quit

people who would make great hermits.

Some of these people "just" happened to be 

in advantages positions.  And some of these

people were totally disadvantaged.

The list could go on and on.  But that is enough

to see that the list could include you and me.

What was the one common denominator that

made them useful to God?

Jesus Christ himself said,

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, 

he must deny himself, and take up his

cross daily and follow Me."

(Luke (9:23 NASB)

Remember, the cross was a method of

execution.  A way to die.  And in this 

case to die to self.

The Apostle James says it another way;

"Submit therefore to God.  Resist the

devil and he will flee from you."

(James 4:7 NASB)

And the Apostle Paul one place when talking

on this subject said; "I die daily."

(1 Corinthians 15:31 NASB)

In short, If I want to be really useful to God,

no matter where I am or what ever my 

circumstances my be,

I have to die to myself and my

desires and give myself over to

God to let him use me however

he wants.

THEIR FAILURE ENCOURAGES ME

  

Most of you will not even be able to comprehend what I am

trying to get across.  That is because every thing you have

ever endeavored to do for God, or He has directed you to do -

you have completed successfully and timely.  Then simply said,

"What is next LORD?"

But there are one or two of us (perhaps in each country) who

have not completed our task or ministry.  We might even have

put it on the shelf - for the time being.  Or run off,  pulling a

Jonah.

The Scriptures tell us about two fellows who failed in their

God given task.  Now that encourages me.  Because it makes

me feel superior?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  But because I 

can relate to them.  That's the part of life I know best.

In Acts chapter fifteen Paul and Barnabas were getting ready

for another mission trip.  Barnabas wanted to take Mark

with them, that is John Mark.  But Paul did not want to

because Mark had not stayed with them to the end of 

another mission.  Mark turned back and left them.  We

do not know why.  Perhaps the going was too tough, or 

fear.  The Scriptures do not tell us.  That is because it

was for the same reason you did not complete your God 

given mission that time.  But if the Scriptures told us 

what is was, the other guy would think he was off the 

hook.

There was another fellow named Demas.  At one point

he left Paul in a bind and returned somewhere because

he had fallen in love with the world.  We are not told

what it was he loved more than God's work.  It might have

been, opportunity, fame, money, things or whatever.  But

it was the same thing that you and I love more than God's

work.

How much later does not matter.  But later the Apostle Paul

is in Prison.  That is where he wrote his "prison epistles".  And

in the closing portion of two of these epistles, Colossians and

Philemon as he is giving his greetings, two of his co-workers

are mentioned.  You guessed it, Mark and Demas.  Hey!

They are restored, back on the job, doing their ministry or

task.

Over the years I have read of many a person who has failed or

fallen.  Some failed miserably.  But God forgave and restored

them to places of usefulness or ministry.

Perhaps the reason is the same as the troubles the apostle

 Paul was going through.  Then he was able to say,

"He helps us in all our troubles, so that we

are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles,

using the same help that we ourselves have received

from God."

(2 Corinthians 1:4 GNB)

How glad I am that God,

loves, forgives, restores.