1 Peter 4:10 reminds us that “each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms” Ecclesiastes 11:4 adds that “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done”.
True followers of Christ do their best with what they have. They don’t make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances before doing something. They just do what needs to be done. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the lives of those who were called by God and are asked to serve Him.
• Moses used a rod to reveal Gods power (Exodus 3:9-11; 4:1-5).
• The boy mentioned in the feeding of the 5000 gave all he had – five loaves and two fish – and Jesus multiplied it and used it to feed a multitude (John 6:1-13).
• Samson used the jawbone of a donkey to defend Gods honor (Judges 15:14-17).
• The poor widow recorded in the Gospel of Luke used all she had to give glory to God (Luke 21:1-4).
All of these stories have a common theme - that it’s not really about a magic rod, a multiplied lunch, a donkey’s jawbone or the two mites the poor women gave - The focus is on the majesty and power of God who can use whatever you have to serve Him and others.
Working as a pastor I have found that one main reason many people never get involved in ministry is that they think that they are not good enough to serve. They somehow believe that serving God is only for the chosen elite.
Some churches have even encouraged this wrong thinking by using only the most talented and gifted members to plan and run the church, which in turn makes people of average talent even more hesitant to get involved.
The bottom line is you don’t have to be perfect for God to use you to bless somebody else. In fact I would rather involve as many average people as possible in ministry than have a perfect church run by a few elites. The truth is, almost everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it – that’s how we learn and grow to be more Christ-like.
So let me ask you: Are you willing to use whatever you have to serve others? Imagine what God could do with what you have.