Letting God Use Us

While looking at online devotionals (just out of curiosity) I came across a quote from a pastor. I wish I'd written it down, but I didn't, and I can't find it. I'll try to paraphrase as best and honestly as I can. It said to be careful about praying for God to use you, because He would "use you up" if you do.

I blinked at my computer. I blinked across the room. Then, I remember an intense surge of...anger, or indignation. I took a breath, and asked myself why I was angry. It took a few minutes, but I finally figured it out.

When we accept God into our lives, we become His. We belong to Him, and only to Him. He is the King. The only God. The ultimate Ruler. Our lives are His, to do with what He will, and if we're following Him, and we accept that His ways are best, that's not something to cringe at. We are His to use as He wills. And that's a marvelous thing. It's terrifying! I know. It's terrifying to not know what's going to happen; that's where trust that God knows more than we do comes in. So, even though it's terrifying, it's still marvelous! If we allow ourselves to be used and don't fight it, but keep the attitude of "Yes, Lord," we will be blessed. This is much easier to say than to do, but we should remember it, and say it, so that it gets so ingrained in us that it becomes easy to do.

Now, it's always possible that God will require us to go somewhere we don't want, and preach something we don't want (like in Jonah). It's also possible that we won't be as blessed with worldly rewards as some, and sometimes that can be annoying, and cause us to falter. But if we follow God, we will have our rewards. Our bodies are mortal, but our souls are eternal. Our bodies have an expiration date, but that part of us that makes us...well, us...doesn't. So, we don't need worldly goods, because they won't last.

*takes a deep breath* Okay. Back to my point: We belong to God, so we should pray for Him to use us, we should want Him to use us for His purpose. We might get more than we can handle, but we know that God is always with us - "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:8) - and that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). So, it's okay if we feel overwhelmed by what God has called us to do. We just have to remember to ask and rely on Him for strength.

So, my eye twitched when I read the quote, and I was immediately on my guard. This is why we have to read our Bibles and be diligent. Just because a pastor says it doesn't make it true or good. We must be able to discern for ourselves.

If I can find the quote, I'll redo this post and add it. God bless you!