FAITHFUL FRIDAY

Before I surrendered my life to Christ, I could come up with some good excuses for not doing what God wanted me to do. Now that I know God, I have no excuse and yet, I admit I still sometimes make excuses for not being obedient to the will of God. I don’t want to be disobedient. My desire is that everything I do is pleasing in God’s eyes. It’s just at times I have felt out of my comfort zone or sometimes I have just felt not qualified. You know what I mean, “I need to straighten myself out first,” or “I’m not ready yet”. As Christians we sometimes use the excuses of the lack of skill and qualifications. Now I know I can’t sing and God must know it too cause He has not called me to sing (the people thank you God). However, I do know people who can sing and God has put in their heart to sing, but because they feel they are not as good as someone else or they have not had professional training, they hold back. We all  feel  hints of insecurity and self-doubt ay times. But when God looks at us, he doesn’t focus on what we can’t do; he sees what he can do through us. In fact, sometimes the individual whom God chooses not only surprise us but also surprise the one chosen! All through the scriptures we find that it is God who does the empowering, and qualifying of His people. I could start with Moses who we know had many excuses on why he could not fulfill his calling. And what about David who represents himself as weakness itself in his Psalms which is the text-book for all human weaknesses, sorrow, struggles, and aspirations. But I rather talk about the four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, all women who had morally questionable backgrounds. Tamar resorted to deception and prostitution to produce children through her father-in-law. Yet, it was from her line, the tribe of Judah, that the Messiah came. Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute in Jericho. She became a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She also became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Ruth was morally upright. But as a Moabitess, she was a Gentile and therefore considered unclean. Yet, she became the grandmother of David whom the Jews regard as their greatest king. Bathsheba committed adultery with David. Later, she gave birth to King Solomon from whose royal line Jesus descended. I’m not judging but these women were far from what I would call qualified to be in the genealogy of Jesus. What does this tell us? God is saying that He is greater than our sins. His grace is greater than our sins, so that even when the world disqualifies us, He can qualify us to receive His blessings! God is saying that he is a God of second, third, and many chances. These women’s stories show us that even when our troubles are of our own making, they are neither final nor fatal. Even when all our earthly connections are gone, and we may think it is the end, God can instantly turn things around. Then end becomes the beginning. The pain becomes joy. The lost is restored. I am a witness! Yes, if we look at our natural circumstances we can become discouraged. But if we look at our God and trust in Him, He can make the impossible possible. He qualifies the unqualified. Exercising our faith allows God to do great things in each of us. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world and our weaknesses. Step out in faith, for it is God who qualifies us. Love and Blessings…