October 20, 2020
Lord, Make Me Usable
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Who says dreams don’t come true? Our son grew up with one dream in mind - to play college football. That dream came true. Jered was the starting fullback on his college football team and was on academic and football scholarship. I, of course, taught him everything he knows!
When college football scouts from all over the country began to recruit Jered, I discovered it was quite a process. The scouts keep track of the statistics on high school players, watching certain ones for three and four years. College coaches show up at high school games to talk with high school coaches and watch their potential players in action. Letters start filling the mailbox along with promotional material for their college football programs. Then the phone calls begin.
When the players are high school seniors, the process becomes even more intense. The college scouts request game film highlights, academic transcripts, detailed applications, and teacher recommendations. They meet with the high school players themselves, inviting them to visit the college campus for a weekend. After months of “courting” the final phase begins.
The students narrow down their college choices as the college scouts do the same. At some point, each one makes a choice and the dance is over. During the entire process, both the college recruiter and the student athlete have one thing in mind – making the best choice because both want to be on a winning team. Life is much the same.
If I were running the world, I would assemble a team of winners, choosing the smartest, brightest, most experienced, most talented, wealthiest, and most successful as members of my team. However, there is a God, and I am not Him.
God has written a different plan for the most important invasion of all time. It is the plan of invading Satan’s territory – Earth – and retaking it under the banner of His son, Jesus Christ. It requires us to offer our lives to Him as a living sacrifice. The choice is not only holy and pleasing to God, but it is an act of worship.
Take a close look at God’s choice of recruits for the job - the weak, the poor, the broken and sick, and the lonely and defeated. God chose the most ordinary people to accomplish the most extraordinary feats. Why would God choose such flawed people to do His most important work? The answer is a very simple and yet a profound spiritual principle. God’s power shows up best in broken people.
Do you want to be used by God? I have good news. God wants to use you. In fact, He will use you because that is His plan and has been all along. When we pray for the Lord to use us we are asking Him to do something that He already wants to do.
Perhaps our prayer should be, “Lord, make me usable.” Only He can fully prepare us for service. It is not our ability that the Father is concerned with – it is our availability. Today, make yourself available to the One who knows you best and loves you most. Celebrate the truth that God chose you for His team and even now is preparing you for the game of life.
Let’s Pray
Father, I really want to do what You want me to do. Please help me seek You and Your plan above all others. I know I am broken, Lord. I need Your power working through me. I want to be usable in Your kingdom work. Make me usable, Lord. I am here and I am Yours.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Examine your heart. Be honest. Do you really want to be used by God? Are you ready to fully surrender your life to Him. Write a letter to God, expressing the desire of your heart. Sign and date that letter and keep it in your Bible as a reminder of the commitment you made today.
More from the Girlfriends
So many women have told me that they really want to study the Bible, but they just don't know how. If we want to discover and live out God’s plan, we must know the Word of God. It is our life compass. The good news is that more than we want to understand the Bible, God wants us to understand the Bible.
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© 2020 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.
Originally published Tuesday, 20 October 2020.
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