God Wastes Nothing

As I finished reading Acts, I took some time to reflect on Paul's life. He suffered some less than ideal circumstances, huh? Imprisoned for many years of his life, beaten, never knowing when he might be executed, constantly being attacked and persecuted for the simple act of sharing the truth and love of Jesus! But that was not all experienced in vain. God used everything that happened to Paul to bring forth His glory and spread the message of salvation. Think of all the people that Paul directly impacted in his lifetime! And now his story and his letters make up almost half of the Bible! And think of all the people who have been impacted from reading those words! Imagine if Paul had felt so defeated by his circumstances that he stopped trying, stopped writing, and simply gave up all hope. Thankfully God gave him the strength to persevere through those circumstances and use them to show the glory of God.

I know I've talked several times about this idea of God using bad situations to bring about good results. But I think it's worth writing about again. I think I could probably write about this every single day and I would still manage to forget. I would still slip into disbelief, doubt, and fear. I have to remind myself of God's control and His goodness every day, multiple times a day. Because when you're right in the middle of life, dealing with whatever you're going through, or even getting lost in the routine obligations of the day, it's easy to forget. It's easy to look from my limited point of view and feel frustrated because I don't see anything good coming from it. I can only imagine the days that Paul may not have directly seen his impact. When he was imprisoned with limited contact with others, did he wonder what was the point of it all? Even if he did, I'm glad he remembered the truth and pressed forward.

My "salvation verse," which is the verse I read when God opened my eyes to the truth and I finally understood the true concept of salvation, is Ephesians 1:4-5. "For He chose us in him, before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will." Paul wrote those words. I believe that they came from God's Holy Spirit living within Paul, but Paul is the one who physically wrote those words and sent them in a letter to the Ephesians. And because God used Paul to write those words, I was able to realize and accept my salvation. I wonder if Paul had any idea that those words would save someone almost 2,000 years later?

As I marvel in all of this mind-boggling wonderment, I feel encouraged. I am encouraged that no matter what happens in my life, God is going to use it. Even in the worse circumstances, when nothing seems to be going right, God is going to use it. I may never see it first-hand, but He will use it! I bet that really pisses off the devil! :)

I saw a Facebook status today that related to this message. I know a guy who had a rough past. He was involved in a lot of bad things and spent some time in prison. Now he is saved and part of several ministries, one of which is his own music ministry. He is a rapper and he raps about Jesus. Someone sent him a message that he shared on FB, and part of it said, "The tattoos and rap are meant to be a part of your ministry or GOD wouldn't have allowed you to have them.. He had a plan for you long before you did!" So true! That's how it is with everything. All the bad things that happen...they may one day be part of your ministry! So take heart when times get rough, and know that God will use your struggles to make a difference!

Be encouraged,
~Christy~