God Only Uses Strong People, Right? Wrong —Two2Grow, Tuesday, September 22
God Only Uses Strong People, Right? Wrong! —Two2Grow, Tuesday, September 22
“Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 GNB
Have you ever been struck by this thought: “God can’t use me because I’m too weak”?
Today’s Scripture reveals that to be a lie meant to hold us back from being used by God. Paul says that we who carry the message of Jesus and his kingdom are like clay pots. Why is that significant? Because I’ve been told that in Bible days, clay pots that had cracks in them were not discarded but used as lanterns.
The picture of light shining through cracks brings out the great truth that it is exactly in our human frailty and weakness that God’s love and power will be known.
Trying to hide our human limitations and frailty is like trying to cover up the cracks in the pot, thus hindering the light from shining through.
We don’t have to become spiritual superheroes for God to use us. What we need is to be authentic. Some of the most powerful spiritual breakthroughs I have ever seen have come in times of great weakness.
So we should not be afraid of facing our weaknesses and limitations but bring them before God in honesty and truth. In doing so, He will use them to show the supreme power of the Gospel.
In today’s text, Paul had to remind the church in Corinth of this truth. They looked at Paul and didn’t find him very impressive. How could someone so ordinary, weak, and persecuted really be carrying the message of God’s kingdom?
So don’t hide your weakness. Let it be the avenue through which God’s power is shown!
One note: The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, so I need to point out something. We need to be aware of the difference between sin and human weakness. I’m not saying that willful sin in our lives is the crack through which God’s light will shine. Sin must always be confessed, and we must make every effort to change by the grace of God.
Father, thank you for wanting to use me today. I give you all of me. Use my strengths and my weaknesses as ways to display your glorious power and love. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
Have you ever been struck by this thought: “God can’t use me because I’m too weak”?
Today’s Scripture reveals that to be a lie meant to hold us back from being used by God. Paul says that we who carry the message of Jesus and his kingdom are like clay pots. Why is that significant? Because I’ve been told that in Bible days, clay pots that had cracks in them were not discarded but used as lanterns.
The picture of light shining through cracks brings out the great truth that it is exactly in our human frailty and weakness that God’s love and power will be known.
Trying to hide our human limitations and frailty is like trying to cover up the cracks in the pot, thus hindering the light from shining through.
We don’t have to become spiritual superheroes for God to use us. What we need is to be authentic. Some of the most powerful spiritual breakthroughs I have ever seen have come in times of great weakness.
So we should not be afraid of facing our weaknesses and limitations but bring them before God in honesty and truth. In doing so, He will use them to show the supreme power of the Gospel.
In today’s text, Paul had to remind the church in Corinth of this truth. They looked at Paul and didn’t find him very impressive. How could someone so ordinary, weak, and persecuted really be carrying the message of God’s kingdom?
So don’t hide your weakness. Let it be the avenue through which God’s power is shown!
One note: The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, so I need to point out something. We need to be aware of the difference between sin and human weakness. I’m not saying that willful sin in our lives is the crack through which God’s light will shine. Sin must always be confessed, and we must make every effort to change by the grace of God.
Father, thank you for wanting to use me today. I give you all of me. Use my strengths and my weaknesses as ways to display your glorious power and love. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD