Usable by God

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished. Luke 2:8-10, 16-18 (NLT)

Shepherds. We might think now that being a shepherd was a great job. Wandering out on the hillsides. Sleeping under the stars. David was a Shepherd. Jesus talks about shepherding his sheep. Shepherding doesn’t sound so bad.

But back then, it wasn’t such a great job. Shepherds were seen as dishonest by the community at large. They were not allowed in courts as witnesses. They were considered unclean. No one was allowed to help them. They were outcasts. The lowest of the low.

Yet, God chose them. He chose them to first announce the arrival of Jesus. It was to them he shared his Good News and revealed his glory. Can you imagine seeing all of those angels praising God? WOW!

I love that the Shepherds took this information, checked it out for themselves and then ran around telling everyone they could find about what they had experienced. They were the first preachers. The first to spread the Good News.

God picked the most unlikely people to be involved in His story. He is still doing that today. We each experience Jesus every single day in our lives. (You do. You just might be missing it because you are looking for it.) We should be like the Shepherds and take those experiences, share them with the people around us and in doing that, share Jesus.

You see, we have no excuse. By choosing the Shepherds God made it clear that all are qualified. Everyone is usable by Him for His purpose. You don’t need an education. You don’t need to be accepted by society. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you. What matters is that God sees you. He will use you. You just have to be like a Shepherd. Willing.

Running In The Right Direction

But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. Luke 24:11-12 (NLT)

Peter had blown it. He had denied Christ three times and now, Jesus was dead. There was no fixing what he'd broken. Or so he thought.

When Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, Jesus' body was not there. Instead, an angel reminded them of what Jesus said. They rushed to the eleven disciples to share the good news! In verse eleven it says the men did not believe it. Everyone but Peter.

Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb. Do you think as he was running he was hoping and praying that maybe this was his second chance?  Maybe he could tell Jesus he was sorry and be forgiven? Do you think in his heart of hearts even though he knew it was crazy to believe that someone could rise from the dead, he also understood more about this Jesus since he denied him?

Isn't this the story of the gospel in a nutshell?  No matter what you've done, no matter how horrible you think it is, Jesus died and rose again so you would be forgiven. Peter saw his second chance and he went running toward it.

And when Peter turned to Jesus, God used his experience; his understanding of what the good news truly meant to build a church.

Jesus will do the same for us. No matter how many mistakes we make, he is offering us forgiveness. He's saying come; spend time with me. I have a job for you. Today, which way are you running? Toward Jesus or away from him?

A Minute In It - What Are You Doing With The Good News?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told! Luke 2:1-20 (MSG)

Shepherds were considered to be the lowest of the social hierarchy of society. Why did God appear to them?
Why were they afraid of the angel?
If you were a shepherd, what thoughts would be running through your head as the angels sang?
After they saw the Baby Jesus, what did they do before they returned to their flocks?
If God revealed something miraculous to you, would you share it like the Shepherds did?
Wait! He did! He's told us about Jesus and the Cross! Who are you sharing that with?

Maybe Messy Is A Good Thing

So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:4-7 (NIV)

We've heard this story a million times it seems...every time I read it, it'd remind me how we need to be washed clean of our sins.

But this week, I noticed something different - the dirty feet. I'll admit - I was a bit grossed out. Have you ever worn sandals and walked around an area with a little dirt before? And have you ever taken a look at your feet at the end of the day? DISGUSTING!

That's NOTHING compared to the disciples. They had been walking around different  towns with Jesus, in sandals I'd imagine, through the dirt, mud, rain. These were not the steets you and I are used to, friends.

But amidst the messiness, I heard God tell me, I love their dirty feet.

That's when I realized - Our feet should be so dirty from doing God's work, from walking with people IN THEIR MESS, that at the end of the day, they have to be cleaned. 

I thought about my own feet. Are they dirty at the end of the day? Are they so full of grime and mud that I have no choice but to scrub away the dirt at the end of the day? Have I used them to do God's work?

Maybe being messy isn't such a bad thing after all.