Being Used By God
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
In the 30 plus years that I have been in ministry, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “how can I be used more by God?” Most of us feel that we are not being used by God and we don’t know how to put ourselves in a position to be used.
The verse above tells us two things. First that God created us in Jesus to do good works. Second is that He has already prepared the opportunities for us to advance those good works through us.
So why is it that we feel frustrated by not being used as much? To a large extent it is because we do not feel like we are worthy of being used. We are aware of failures and weaknesses, finding it hard to believe the Lord would use us. The first step to being used is realizing that you were created by God for the purpose of doing good works.
The second step is not to worry about where the opportunities to do good work will come from. You don’t need to struggle to find ways to be used. According to the above verse, God will bring them across your path because He has prepared them in advance.
All you have to do is make yourself ready to be used. Let me give you an example. A number of years ago I was asking God to use me. At the time I was driving from Toledo to Lima and I was praying and seeking Him.
The moment I stopped praying, the car in front of me pulled off the road in a frantic fashion. An arm popped out of the window and was waving for help. I pulled off and walked back to see if I could be of help. The woman in the car was in a traumatic and difficult situation. Over the next 45 minutes I was able to serve the Lord by serving her. In the process she asked me questions about why I was doing the things that I was doing to help her. In effect she asked me to share my faith with her, which I did. The end result was that within a few weeks both she and her daughter came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
God created you to do good works and has prepared opportunities. Spend time with Him and watch what He will do.
J Todd Hostetler