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Fulfilling through Sanctification
by Chris Gambrell One of the frequent themes throughout the Bible is that God uses regular people to fulfill His intentions. To fulfill God's intentions you don't have to be famous, or bask in the benefits that fame brings. None of the things that are considered important in the world is necessary to fulfill God's intentions. Some of God's greatest workers have been regular people. A few examples of this would be: 1 oseph, Joseph becomes the Pharaoh's right hand. He was able interpret dreams and was able to save Egypt from famine. Before all that, he started his life in Egypt as a slave as well as prisoner in jail. 2. Moses, his daily work consisted of leading sheep around. God not only talked directly and revealed Himself to him. He also told him that he was going to lead His people to the promised land. 3. Gideon, God used Gideon to deliver Israel from Midian but before that Gideon was nothing more than a farmer. 4. Jephthah, he was used by God to deliver Israel from the Ammonites. Before that, he was only known as being the son of a prostitute. 5. David, like Moses, David was also a shepherd but David also just a boy. He defeated Goliath and grew up to be king. 6. Esther, Esther was a slave before God used her to save her people from being massacred. 7. Mary, whom God chose to be the mother of Jesus, God could have chosen the daughter of a Politician, a King, or someone more influential, but no, the mother of Jesus was a peasant girl. 8. Matthew, he was one of the 12 disciples and wrote one of the Gospels that told about the life of Jesus. However, before Jesus asked Matthew to join Him he was just a tax collector. 9. Luke, he traveled with Paul, he went on to write one of the four Gospels. Yet, he was just a doctor. 10. Peter, many of the disciples were just fisherman and would go on to do God's will. Peter is the best example as he would be an apostle, a leader of the early church and he would write two letters in the Bible. God has chosen many surprising instruments to bring about His will. Every saint is also called to bring about His will. Even though it seems bleak at times, God's sanctification of us through Christ is a live saving process for all mankind. God's process of sanctification conforms us to the image of His Son. Many of the writers of Scripture employed images that spoke of the Father's shaping work in the life of His saints. Isaiah, for example, compared the Lord to an artist making pottery: "We are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). Some of the tools He utilizes to mold and perfect His creations are... The Bible, a psalmist described God's Word as "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). The Holy Spirit illuminates what we read so that we can come under conviction and grow in our faith. The church, as part of Christ's body, we learn of God's ways from the pastor and teachers who've been called to minister. The Father also calls His children to fellowship together (Hebrews 10:25), He can use them in each other's sanctification process. Suffering, God freely offers us solace and help during times of difficulty, but He also uses our painful circumstances to shape us. When we submit to the work He is doing, we emerge from our struggles looking more Christlike than ever before. We don't have to be spiritual supermen, or women to bring about the will of God. From the moment, a person responds to the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ, God's transforming work of sanctification will be ongoing throughout this life. As children of the King, we should long to glorify our Father by faithfully reflecting Him. To do that, we must yield to His tools of sanctification. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |