God Chose the Despised

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV)

Now before I say anything else, I want to state that this is not just for men. This is for all who believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord. For we are all called of God to his service, and we are all given spiritual gifts to use, and we all are assigned of God particular body parts within the body of Christ where we are to minister to one another. For we are all to speak the truth in love to one another and to exhort one another daily and to help a fallen brother or sister back to walks of faith.

And all of us are to shine the light of the gospel to the people of the world and to be those who preserve the word of God in its truthfulness and in its fullness and who are sharing it with the people of this world. We are all called of God to be his witnesses and to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations. And we are all to be God’s holy people who are proclaiming the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (truth, righteousness, Jesus Christ, God).

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And so this is not just for people who have graduated from Bible colleges or who have seminary degrees or who have titles of missionary, pastor, evangelist, and/or elder, etc. It is not just for people who are recognized as important in the community or nationally or globally, or who are the spouses or children of someone famous. For look at who Jesus chose to be his closest disciples and companions. They were fishermen and tax collectors, etc. And when Jesus called Paul he was a persecutor and a murderer of Christians.

Now I am going to give you a personal example of this. For I was brought up in a poor family with two parents and four siblings. My father was an abuser who called himself a Christian, and we were not a family that was highly praised or honored in any way. And I was a slow learner and I had a reading comprehension disability, so I didn’t do well in school. I could sing fairly well back then, so I did get some praise for that, but I was greatly lacking in confidence, and I was very fearful about a lot of things because of my dad.

But I believed in Jesus at the age of 7, and I did love the Lord, and I did want to serve him with my life, but I was a little too serious about my relationship with the Lord, in comparison to where a lot of others were, and so from a young age I began to face some persecution and rejection because I was the odd one who took God and his word seriously (not the only one, but in the minority, for sure). And I am not saying that I was perfect, but I was serious about following the word of God and doing what it says.

And I faced much rejection and persecution from others, over multiple years, usually from pastors or elders in institutional churches who did not get me and so they judged me falsely, or who did not want someone like me in their “churches,” and so they would cast me out and turn me away. And it was because I was following the Lord in obedience to his word in doing what he has called all of us to do. And some of them were not doing that, because they were following other men and marketing tricks and schemes, instead.

And then there was a point in my life where emotionally and mentally I just broke down, and I felt like I just could not take it anymore, and I gave into the flesh, and I wandered from the Lord off and on over several years. But the Lord Jesus had a plan for my life from even before he created the world. And he wasn’t finished with me yet. And in 2004 he called me to write down what he teaches me from his word each day and to post these writings on the internet, and that is what I have been doing ever since then.

[Psalms 139:13-16; Romans 8:29; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Ephesians 1:3-4]

So, I am sharing that with you to let you know that you do not have to be anyone of renown. You don’t have to be wealthy. You don’t have to be someone who is widely known or recognized or who is super smart or super talented or gifted in any particular areas. You don’t have to have a college degree or a seminary degree or any kind of title before your name. And you can be male or female. For all you have to do is to love and obey Jesus, and to serve him with your life, and he can and he will use you for his glory.

And even after God calls you, and you begin to do what he has called you to do, you may not get much praise at all from other humans, and you may, instead, get much rejection and persecution, which is what Jesus said will happen to us who follow him with our lives. But you must persevere in doing the work of the Lord, for God will use you to minister to other people and to share the truth of the gospel so that others will turn their hearts to Jesus Christ in surrender of their lives to him. But all the glory belongs to God!

Here is Your God!  

An Original Work / July 18, 2012

Based off Isaiah 40:9-31 NIV

You who bring good tidings to Zion,

Lift up your voice; raise with a shout,

And do not be afraid of the people.

Say, “Here is your God!”

See how the Lord God comes now with power.

His arm rules for Him; His reward with Him.

He tends His flock just like a shepherd,

His lambs in His arms.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? 

Has it not been told you from beginning?

Our Lord sits enthroned above all things.

None to Him compare.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Who made all of these? Who calls them by name?

Because of His great power and strength,

All accounted for.

Why do you say, “My way is hidden

From the Lord, and my cause forgotten”?

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord, He is your God.

He will not weary. He gives us power.

Those who trust in Him will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings just like eagles;

Walk and do faint not.

https://vimeo.com/125488095