Image courtesy of Village Missions.
“I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” – Psalm 57:2
Most everyone has at least a few tools. Some have wildly impressive collections, covering walls in their garages, or filling multiple drawer levels in wheeled cabinets.
Professionals such as carpenters, plumbers and auto mechanics boast tool kits with highly-specialized implements, some of which the average person would have little idea how to use. They put them to work repairing intricate problems, or creating structures where none stood before.
Most homeowners have a toolbox of some sort, with essentials needed for basic household tasks and repairs. Each tool has a purpose. A pliers serves a different need from a screwdriver, which serves a different need from a wrench, which serves a different need from a hammer.
These tools, wherever stored, are always ready for use. We can grab a few for a specific need, or the whole box if several are required.
Are You Ready to be Used?
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” – John 15:16
Have you ever considered yourself as a tool of God? Indeed, as John wrote, God chose us to accomplish his will and purposes on earth. We are His instruments.
It’s important to reiterate who chose whom, as well. We are entrusted to do God’s bidding, not the other way around. Follow His guidance, and we bear fruit.
Just like the many different types of tools, God seeks to achieve different things through different people. We can’t know our exact purpose. We have to trust His will. For, as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, “Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”
Thus, we are expected to follow the path that God lays before us, without fighting or resisting. We are but broken, humbled beings. He is God! Do we somehow believe that we know better?
His Purposes are Rightful Ones
“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?” – Isaiah 45:9
God created us as tools for His holy purposes. We are perfectly created for His tasks.
When we accept this commission, and surrender to God’s preordaining for us, life improves. We feel peace. We find meaning. We experience joy in new ways, and in new places. We see the world through an entirely different lens.
We are the Heavenly Father’s tools. He will use us in good ways, to repair humanity’s fractures and construct new houses to praise His name. Jesus was a carpenter, after all. Let us never stop partnering with him to build the holy kingdom on earth, ever higher and ever brighter.
(If you’re ready to embrace Christ, He’s ready for you. Visit C Suite for Christ to join in Christ-centered fellowship with other professionals. Submit a prayer request for a pressing need in your life. Participate in a virtual prayer session to ask God to be with those who have submitted requests. Follow C Suite for Christ on LinkedIn and Facebook. Questions? Contact Paul M. Neuberger at (414) 313-8338 or pneuberger@csuiteforchrist.com.)
