Ability vs. Availability

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

— 2 Corinthians 4:7

 

When Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, it was a source of complete amazement that these untrained laymen could be so well-versed in the Scriptures—and more importantly, in their understanding. They were ordinary fishermen, salt-of-the-earth-type people. This doesn't mean they were illiterate. But they had not attended the rabbinical schools or spent their lives in the study of the Scripture.

Acts 4:13 tells us that when these religious leaders "saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." These simple fishermen appeared to be better-equipped than the professionals were. How did this happen? The disciples had been with Jesus. They were boldly sharing their faith. They knew the Scriptures. They were men who prayed.

This should give hope and encouragement to those who think of themselves as ordinary people. Maybe God has not called you to be a pastor, a missionary, or some professional ministry position. But God can use you too. It is clear that He is looking for ordinary men and women to bring the gospel message to others.

God can use you where you are. The opportunities are there. There is a mission field where you work. There is a mission field where you go to school. There is a mission field in your neighborhood. You are God's representative, and He is calling you to go into this world and speak up for Him. God is not looking so much for ability as He is looking for availability. So make yourself available to Him.

The Lust of the Eyes

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

— 1 John 2:16

 

Why do we get tempted in our minds? Because it is command central. It is here that we reason. It is here that we intellectualize. It is here that we contemplate. It is here that we dream. It is here that we fantasize. The Bible tells us, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3–4).

That is how Eve was tempted—through the lust of the eyes: Eve, check it out. Have you ever seen a piece of fruit like this? Satan attacked Eve's mind. The lust of the eyes is mental temptation, temptation that comes through the realm of the mind.

As the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).

It is in our minds that we can commit horrible sins. We can reach into the past through our memories. We can reach into the future through our imagination. Often, the devil will get us to just think about it: You don't have to do it. Just think about it. That is all. It doesn't have to go any further than this. You can handle it.

But after a while, thinking about it isn't enough. After a while, fantasizing about it isn't enough. We want to take it to the next level. So we start flirting. We start touching. We start tasting. We start playing with it. Then, the next thing we know, we are caught in it.

Use What You Have

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

— Romans 5:18

 

When God released the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, it took them a while to get to the Promised Land—a lot longer than it needed to. When they finally arrived, Moses had died, and Joshua had been appointed to lead the Israelites into this new land. God said to Joshua, "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you . . . " (Joshua 1:2–3).

The Israelites could have stood at the border of the Promised Land and said, "Will you look at that? Wow. Isn't it nice?" But they had to go in and possess their possessions.

In the same way, sometimes we will stand around and admire a certain thing, but we don't actually utilize it. It is like buying an SUV, but never actually taking it four-wheeling. In the same way, we can stand around and admire biblical principles like justification and say, "Isn't it great what God has given to us?" But do we actually use it? Many times the answer is no.

We have to possess our possessions. Justification by faith is not just a simple legal matter between God and us; it is a living relationship. Therefore, we don't have to pray for victory. We need to pray from victory. We don't fight for success. We fight from it. We don't need to go out and win the battle. The battle has been won. So we need to go in the authority and power of our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ.

Don't Look Back

One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

— Philippians 3:13–14

 

The apostle Paul said, "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead . . ." (Philippians 3:13).

Paul had committed horrible things, hunting down Christians and throwing them in prison. Yet he said, "I am forgetting it. I am not going to be crippled by my past."

The devil desires nothing more than to cripple you with your past. "Remember what you used to do. Remember the sins you committed. Remember the horrible things you did," he says.

Paul put his past behind him and moved forward as a new person in Christ. You can do that, too. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You say, "I have done some pretty horrible things." Welcome to the club! We all have sinned. We have all fallen short (see Romans 3:23).

But God can change you and make you a different person on the inside. It's so great to say, "I'm not looking back. I am moving forward as a Christian."

Lot's wife looked back. She was led by the angels and actually left Sodom and Gomorrah with her family. She was almost out of that place. But she didn't get far enough. She just had to steal that one last backward glance.

The lesson of Lot's wife is clear: don't look back. Don't let that happen to you. You can be crippled by past failures and past sins. Or you can put them behind you as you start over again and follow Jesus Christ.

A Preserving Factor

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

— Ephesians 5:15–16

 

In the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth . . . " His listeners would have immediately understood what He was saying: "You are a preserving factor in the culture today."

Salt not only was a valuable commodity in the first century, but it also was used as a preservative. In the absence of refrigeration or ice machines, salt would be rubbed into meat to keep it from the process of putrefaction. Also, meat would be sliced into slender strips, dipped into a saline solution, and thereby preserved until a later date.

In the same way, Christians can act as a preservative in the culture. As a representative of Jesus, you, as a believer, can change the dynamic of a room. That very tension says that you are a representative of Jesus Christ, and people know it. Your presence makes a difference.

But we can't sting the world's conscience if we go against our own. We cannot be an influence for purity in the world if we are compromised in our purity. We cannot be used by God to stop the corruption of sin in others if it has corrupted us. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13).

It is the Christians who stand up for what is right. It is the Christians who speak out against what is wrong. It is the Christians who are always at the front line of every effort around the world to help people who are hurting, regardless of whether they have faith. That is what Christians do. We are the salt of the earth.