Can God Use Us?

Have you ever wondered what is your purpose here on earth? Well, I have questioned God on this several times before. As I read the bible, I have come to understand two main objectives we are here. The first is to love and glorify God in all that we do (Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31). The second is to make Christ known to the world (Matthew 28:19-20).

What comes to your mind if I asked you how can God use you? But before asking ourselves, “How can God use me?”, we first need to say, “Use me Lord, I surrender my all to you.” I'm sure each of us can be God's instruments, but how, exactly? - you may ask. Let me share some thoughts from the bible about this.

Do you ever wonder why God would want you to do something for Him? I'm sure some of us, including me, at times, tend to think that we cannot do anything for the Lord. We often doubt that God can use us.

“I don't think I'm talented to do that...”
“I don't think I know the bible enough.”
“I'm not bold enough to stand up in front of all of them!”
“I'm not as smart as so-and-so (a youth/church leader)”
“I'm not perfect myself, how can I teach others/do that?”

Does the excuses above sound familiar to you? Well my friend, rest assured you're not the only one feeling this way. We have all felt insignificant one time or another. None of us are perfect and God doesn't wait until we are perfect to use us. Come to think of it, that may never happen because in Romans 3:23, it clearly states that, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

In Corinthians 1:27, it says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” It clearly states that God uses the foolish and weak for His purpose. You don't have to be the wisest of the wise or the strongest of the strong to qualify. If you still doubt that God can use you, think again! In Ephesians 2:10 it says, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So that means we all can do something for God. And we are God's Masterpiece! God created you and I just the way we are, to carry out the good works which he has planned for us to do long before we were born.

John 15:16 says, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and appointed you so that you might go bear fruit – fruit that will last.” None of us can meet all the requirements set by God, yet He has chosen you and I to do His work – to go forth and bring the gospel to the world.

How can God use us?

He can use each of us according to the unique talents he has given us. In Romans 12:6, its says that each of us have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Some of us are called to be teachers, some to encourage others, some leaders, still others preachers and the list goes on.

If God calls you to be a teacher, you might have the tendency to say, “I'm no good with kids or at teaching.” But note this, He doesn't want your teaching skills or knowledge or qualifications. Instead He wants your heart, or your love, or your simple sense of humor, or whatever gifts He has given you. He will equip you or has already equipped you, for the job. You may just not realize it.

God may have selected you to seek out the unsaved people and tell them about Jesus. You may have the passion to speak about Jesus to almost everyone you meet – at the bus stop, at the hospital, at your office, anywhere. That would make you an evangelist. Well, if you have never spoken a word about Jesus to anyone, what is keeping you back? Afraid of being at lost of words? Fear not, God will give you the correct words at the right time if you'll let Him take control of the situation. Remember how God used Moses to speak to the Israelites? In Exodus 4:11-12, God told Moses, “I will help you speak and teach you what to say.” He is in control.

God might have given you the gift of praying for others. That would make you an intercessor. You are constantly praying for others – your family, your church, your church leaders, your country, etc. Your unceasing prayers are essential for the growth of the church, your family, your neighbors and others around you.

You may be a person who is great at encouraging others. God may have given you the passion to listen to others and give them an encouraging word or two. You have the patience and the gift of listening to others, and the wisdom to give them sound advice. Listen attentively to what God wants you to say.

Or you may have the job of doing physical labor such as cleaning the church or preparing meals or washing the dishes or even driving the Sunday School kids to church, or something along those lines. Indirectly you are ministering to the lost or you may be enabling others (the church leaders, the Sunday school teachers, the youth leader) to reach out to those who need to hear about Jesus.

On the other hand, you may be a person who helps the needy or the church or the full time worker through your generous giving. God has given you in abundance and you in return give to those in need and to the ministry. God certainly blesses a cheerful giver.

Whatever you do for the Lord, whether big or small, significant or insignificant, everything you do is important for God. Nothing is insignificant in the Lord's eyes. In Matthew 25: 34-40, Jesus tells his disciples that even if you offer a cup of water in Jesus' name, to a needy, your deed will be noticed and rewarded in heaven.

God knows what He wants you to be doing. God has the plan all mapped out and knows where exactly you fit in. He has probably already provided you with the talents and desire that you need to fulfill the job He has prepared for you. God has put you exactly where He wants you to be. Matthew 5:14 says that, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” What does this mean? God has placed you and I in a prominent position – a city built on a hill - everyone sees us. You may feel that you are an ordinary person with no prominence but God said that you are the light of the world. We are special and God has placed us right where we are, and we are to serve Him right where we are.

We can always do something for God, right where we are. It be telling someone about Jesus or doing something as simple as just smiling and looking in someone's eyes and allowing them to see God's love in us. There are many ways we can be a light for Him. We can encourage, strengthen or equip others for the Lord. We just need to open our hearts to let Him show you where and how you are to shine.

I'm sure there are many other things that you can think of and do for God. There is one thing that we can do and are already doing each day. We live our lives as a living testimony for God. Our lifestyle is constantly being watched by the people around us. Every single thing you do, say, hear, read, watch, think or behave is being watched by the world. We ought to live a lifestyle of evangelism. We want others to see Jesus Christ and God's love in everything that we do. 1 Peter 1:15 says, “But just as He who calls you is holy, so be holy in all that you do.” Remember this, we are all saved and called to a holy life, but not because of anything good we have done but because of His own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:9). This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

Psalm 37:23 says that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delights in his way.” God will guide us through our every step and move, if we will just let go and let God. God knows what He wants you to be doing. Do you know what is your calling? You will need to find out what it is and step into it. As you prayerfully seek out what God's calling is for you, ask God to give you: Eyes to see the needs of others and how you can do something for the Lord, ears to listen to what God is saying and to listen to someone's plight or need, a mouth to say what needs to be said – words that build others up and not tear them down, and hands to do what needs to be done – help out in every possible way.

It is my prayer that you will seek out to know more on how God can use you. I hope that it will be your heart's desire to be an instrument for Him. God bless you!


In Christ,
Sharon Shiwani

Spare the rod, spare the child? Not!

FEB 24 — Yesterday, I was appalled to read my fellow columnist’s article about the experiences she and her friends went through recently at a restaurant.

I won’t go into details but suffice to say, I was taken aback by how the parents of these children struck back in both words and action when told to keep their children in check.

I, too, have my fair share of stories to tell, of how I’ve experienced little brats running around causing a huge ruckus in public places. But never have I experienced being told off as my fellow columnist encountered recently.

As parents, my wife and I are mindful of the fact that how our children behave is a direct reflection of our personae, beliefs and our outlook in life. After all, children best learn from examples, and if parents practise bad examples, children will follow suit.

I’ve always believed that children must be conditioned from young to learn behaviour. For instance, as a young parent from the time my two children were born, 12 and 10 years ago respectively, I made it a point to religiously make them learn the basic manners of saying “please” when asking for something and “thank you,” when receiving something

Words such as “excuse me” must be used in the home after a sneeze, burp, even after a person breaks wind. The word “sorry” is certainly not a foreign word in my home.

These basic tenets are non-negotiable. My kids didn’t have the option to not practise them. And to ensure that they practised them, we had to reciprocate and make sure that we, too, practised basic manners. If not, we would be hypocrites and they would point this out to my wife and me.

There are many rules and regulations laid down by the generations of parents before me. I would not suppose to know them all but in the years I’ve been a parent, the three bedrock tenets that I’ve ensured that my kids learn are: responsibility, accountability and the principle that two wrongs, never ever, make a right.

Responsibility means that my children do what they are supposed to do at the right time, at the right place and in the right manner. It requires that, for example, they not give excuses for slacking on house chores or behaving badly when in public by treating public places as their own home, or talking back to their elders, including family and friends.

Accountability is about cause and effect, that everything that my kids do or say results in an effect — whether good or bad — but an outcome nonetheless. It also means that they need to answer for these effects or eventualities.

For example, behaving in an irresponsible manner at home, say with sharp objects, may likely cause them to hurt each other and result in one or the other suffering from cuts and bruises.

Finally, two wrongs don’t make a right. Trying to fix a problem or issue with the best intentions at heart isn’t going to mean anything if the manner in which they try to accomplish it is wrong in itself. We teach them to never try to fix a problem by doing another wrong as such a solution will only make matters worse in the long run.

Today, as I look back, my kids are at the age where they are much older and more responsible and accountable. They have learnt these basic tenets well and are trying to practise them every day.

No, they don’t always succeed but the point is that they try and, thankfully, succeed most of the time. And in times they don’t succeed, I try my best to explain where they have gone wrong and point out the cause and effect of their actions or inaction.

In doing so, they’ve learned to internalise what and where they’ve gone wrong and learnt the kind of effect it has on them, as well as on the people around them.

This process of internalising and explaining where and why they’ve gone wrong is crucial to their positive reinforcement because my kids have been able to develop and appreciate a world view as to what is right and wrong.

They now have the ability to adhere to the rules and regulations not blindly but rationally, thankfully causing them to follow the rules willingly instead of grudgingly.

In my humble opinion, parents must at the end of the day not assume that kids should be given a free pass just because they are young. Bad habits are learnt quickly through conditioning and not nipping them in the bud serves to cause greater heartache later in life.

Kids must be given a framework to work with, a boundary of what is permissible and what is not. Within that framework, there is some leeway for them to behave but if those lines are crossed, discipline must be the order of the day and must be meted out by parents swiftly and firmly.

Simply put, parents need to take responsibility and be accountable for their children’s action or inaction. Abdicating such responsibilities isn’t the way to go because we know this is not how the world works in real life.

Responsibility, accountability and boundaries set by our superiors and the rule of law — in a societal, professional or personal context — need to be practised and adhered to, or else, all hell would break lose.

Now if this is so, why can’t children, too, learn these principles early in life?

By Edwin Yapp
Featured in http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/spare-the-rod-spare-the-child-not/