He was telling me that he had come to the place in his life where he decided something had to change. He had been involved with numerous women in his life, had taken drugs, had a problem with alcohol, and a long list of other items. No matter what he had done or where he had gone, he still never could quite find peace. A few months back he had been approached by a Christian friend who tried to give him a little direction in life and also gave him a bible to read. He started reading it and began to try to apply some of the principles to his life. However, he felt like he had done too many bad things in the past and that he didn’t deserve the love and things that Jesus would willingly provide for him. He wanted to get his act together before he started going to church. He said, “I can’t show up at a church like this. I’m too bad of a person for them to accept me”. Let me say that if you show up to a church and they don’t accept you because you’re not like them, you probably don’t want to be part of that church anyway.
After he talked for a bit, I decided (against my better judgment) to break down and give him some advice/information.
The bible is loaded with people who God accepted and used who weren’t perfect:
1.) Noah had a drinking problem
2.) Abraham had a lying problem
3.) Moses was a murderer
4.) Aaron had a side job of making idols
5.) Gideon tried to provoke God
6.) Samson was a womanizer
7.) David, the man after God's own heart abused his power, he lusted, committed adultery, committed murder of his loyal subject, he lied among other things
8.) Manasseh was involved in witchcraft, murdered of his son, and is made by God ruler of his people
9.) Hosea had an adulterous wife and a horrible family life
10.) Jonah told God he wasn’t going to help people in Ninevah because he hated them
11.) Matthew was a nasty tax collector
12.) Peter cursed and denied, publicly of any knowledge of Jesus
13.) Paul was a blasphemer, murderer, and certainly had a "reputation"
14.) Rahab was a prostitute
15.) Jesus himself had a certain reputation as He was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard. Of course they were lies but he still carried the reputation
The bible’s list goes on and on, naming individuals that God chose to include in His plan of redemption.
Just within our area there are pastors who were among other things; womanizers, had drug problems, were alcoholics, abusive spouses, etc. Though some are in ministry for self proclamation & promotion, many are in ministry to try and warn/reach others and let them know that there is hope in a hopeless world.
As anyone who knows me can testify, I’ve had issues with several things in the past I’m not proud of:
• Temper
• Lust
• Pornography
• Lying
• Stealing
I wasted several years of my life partaking in things that were destructive to me personally and spiritually. I was accused of many more things by people extremely close to me, I won’t waste your time with that but even though the accusations were untruthful, they were easily believable by the items that were true. I begged God for forgiveness and although He forgave me, I still at times have difficulty forgiving myself. I apologized to those who I offended, made peace with all who would listen, and moved on hoping to someday be worthy to be once again used by God. I could either look on it as an end to ministry or the beginning of a new phase in ministry where I could help others who wandered down the wrong road and can’t seem to find there way back. Several months later, God allowed me to once again serve Him in ministry. If He’s willing to use me with the damage I did to His work, He’s definitely willing to accept others and use them also.
The good news for you and me is that God uses people that have messed up for His purposes. Our past failures do not disqualify us. If we respond properly, our failures can actually shape us to embrace the future God has designed.
So take heart! We are not eliminated, or damaged goods. God can use each of us for His redemptive purposes.
I Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV)
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
God does not use perfect things. He takes broken things and makes them work.
He does not always fix them! He uses them in condition that He found them so that He gets all the credit.
You may think there is no hope and there may not be, at least in the normal way of thinking. That’s okay because you are not alone. The very thing that you feel is tearing you down can be the thing that God uses to make you the person He wants you to be.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Message)
Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size - abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.
So, you have been mistreated, misunderstood, gossiped about, lied about, misused and gone through things that are terrible. I’m not saying that is a good thing, I’m saying that these are the very things that can make you the person God wants to use to help others.
Don’t get hung up on things in your past. Get hung up in God’s love and mercy.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not talking about just giving up and living in sin.
Hebrews 12:17 (The Message)
Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.
Some have tried and tried and cannot seem get victory and now the temptation is to just give up. Don’t give up, keep on going. It’s the keeping on keeping on, trying to move toward God, falling and getting discouraged and then getting up again and moving on that will help build your faith.
Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
.... though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.
The sin is not so much in the falling as it is in giving up and laying there. Get up and move toward the Lord.
Have you been HURT?
Have you been WOUNDED?
Are you DAMAGED GOODS?
You are in good company! You are just like most of the people in the Bible! So let’s move on. Damaged Goods are close to the heart of God -- at least that seems to be one of the patterns of scripture to me. God wants you just the way you are so He can transform you to what He wants you to be.
________________________________________________________
Just the Way I Am
Big Daddy Weave
Unbelievable, I’m blown away it’s true
By the matchless love that I’ve found in You.
Undeniable, the changes in me
I’ve never felt so free.
Ever patiently accepting me.
Lord, You love in spite of everything I do.
But oh so faithfully,
You’re committed to the process that makes me like You.
Not when I’m good enough
Not when I clean my act up
Not when I cross that line the thousandth time
And become a better man
Your grace is more than enough
To cover all my sins You washed them away
So right here today
You love me just the way I am
It makes me want to dance.
You make me want to dance.
When I think about how
You love me, You love me
You love me just the way I am.
You love me, You love me
You love me just the way,
Just the way I am
