So many people give up on trying to really make a difference, mostly because they think they’re not the best speakers, not talented enough, smart enough, good-looking enough, or have enough funds, or opportunities open up to them, or have enough time to help make this world a better place. If you’re one of those, perhaps this following discussion will help you see yourself in a different light.

I paraphrase and use quotes from Philip Yancey and Paul Brand’s book IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD, (Zondervan. 2004).

What confounds us all are the people God chose to get His work done, like dishonest Jacob (the trickster and heel) instead of one like Esau who was honest and reliable. And, of all the people He chose to be his holy people, He chose the Jews who are like everybody else—only more so.

They were more religious than anybody was secular, being secular as if they invented it! Moses was chosen to lead them, (even though he had a speech impediment) and even though he killed an Egyptian for being cruel to an Israelite when they were slaves before they were led out of Egypt).

And, the shock of the covenant God made with them to be their God and they were chosen to be his people (Exodus 6:7). Before this was said, they were ‘dancing around a golden calf like aborigines and carrying on with every agricultural deity and fertility god that came down the pike!’ quoted by novelist Frederick Buechner.

With God, exceptions seem to be the rule. Here are more examples: God’s first humans, Adam & Eve, did the only thing He asked them not to do. (Read the first few chapters in the first book in the bible, Genesis.)

The man He chose to head a new nation, Abraham, tried to pawn off his wife, Sarah to the unsuspected Pharaoh. And Sarah, who was the 91 year-old woman who prayed for years to have a son, was told by God she would now have a son, laughed in His face. And David, who wrote most of the Psalms and was said to be after God’s own heart was an adulterer and murderer. And Rahab, a woman of ill-repute was favored by God for her faith. And, what about Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, succumbed to the gods of the beautiful women around him in the end of his life. And Paul, who wrote many books in the Bible, once tortured Christians for believing in Jesus, God’s Son.

So what’s the deal? The truth is everyone has sinned, but in order to be saved from what we all deserve (Hell), we need to ask for forgiveness of our sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then when we die we will go to Heaven forever. Once we have given our hearts and lives to God it’s amazing the transformation that takes place and how He can use us for His purposes. the above mentioned folk we find in the bible is some of the greatest examples of this transformation that takes place. Jesus, the one we follow, has compassion, love, patience, and kindness for us all. We can learn about Him and His ways in the New Testament.

The Old Testament and the New have stories of all those people mentioned earlier, as well as many others. The Bible tells how they lived before and then after changing their ways of living. If you never believed the Bible, and have never known true peace, it would be worth looking into it. If you read or watch the news, it’s more evident every day that our world has never been in the shape it’s in. You can try all that the world offers to find some escape from this life, but only One has proven for centuries to be the real answer, and that is Jesus. Since we were created with our own will, We have to be the one who chooses Him, our Miracle Worker.

So, God can use you no matter your circumstance or your abilities. If you’re willing, get in the Word, pray for His guidance, get into a church that preaches ALL the Bible—including what sin is. (Some leave that part out.) Remember WWHD: What would Jesus do? Then do it.