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Have you ever felt totally unworthy of Christ’s love? Felt like whatever you had done, was just too much for God to forgive you, much less USE you?

I don’t know about you guys, but I know I have.

And I am really finding it ironic that BOTH lessons I have been reading are about the same thing, so, I’ll do them both at the same time.

God’s use of ordinary people. And in the case of one of them, not just ordinary, but sinfully ordinary, one that most people would just discard as broken and unusable.

Our Sunday School lesson is on Rahab. A prostitute. GASP! Horror of horrors! For shame! Throw rocks at her and be done with her! God would never use a whore! But He did! AND, she’s mentioned more than ONCE in the Bible!

Joshua sent 2 spies into Jericho where Rahab lived. She was a prostitute, however her home was probably used as an inn as well because the spies stayed in her home. When the spies were found to be in the city, Rahab agreed to hide them.

Joshua 2:8-14 says:

Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

“Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

Please notice 2 things: 1.) What God had done for the Israelites was well known. His reputation had preceded them. And 2.) She had some sort of faith or belief in this God!

When the Israelites took the city of Jericho, Rahab’s home and her entire family was saved. And she lived in Israel afterward.

She had found and experienced God, and she was forever changed.

Which leads me to my Experiencing God lesson, day 5 that I was unable to blog yesterday.

I was told years ago by a man of authority in our church, that God would not use me, AND, He wouldn’t talk to me. Oh I wish that man still went to our church. 😉 Instead of staying silent as I did then, I may have some nice words for him now….

When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have declared about yourself. You have said that God is incapable of doing anything significant through you.

This is my favorite quote from my lesson this week. But in my OWN head, God can use anyone…..but me. He can take the most ordinary of person, and make them into something extraordinary through His mighty power…..except for me. And in reading this week, that is far from the truth! God desires, is pursuing me, for His work! ME! The overweight football mom, over-stressed, constantly worrying, fearful, somewhat crazy….ME!

The Bible is FULL of regular old joe’s that God has taken and made into MIGHTY people! Oh…and a donkey! If God can do that, He can surely find something useful for me to do! I am HERE! I am MOLDABLE! And I am WILLING!

He took Rahab, while still in her sin, and used her. Please notice this. She did change, but God sure used her first! That is so significant!

In Acts 4:13, it says:

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

This was my second favorite part of the lesson. Did you notice the end of that verse that I italicized? They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

I want my walk with God to be so close, that people recognize me as someone who has been with Jesus. That is my desire.

Lord, You used a harlot. You used a stuttering Moses. You used uneducated men like Peter and John. And, you used a poorly, educated, unordained shoe salesman, Dwight L. Moody. Lord, if you can use them….please use me. Lord I ask that You heal my hurts of someone else’s words, and let Your words sink deep in my heart. Lord, I am willing, I am moldable, and I am ever changing to be closer to You. I do ask forgiveness of my self, and ask that You help me to be the kind of person that You are able to use! I want to be so close to You, that they see YOU all over my face! In Jesus mighty and wonderful name…..

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