Num 22:28 And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?
When I was in Bible College one of my professors Dr. E.C. Bragg, was speaking on this text. I hadn’t been a Christian long and was wondering why God would lead one like myself to Bible College. In my short time as a student I had already heard eloquent speakers and awesome scholars expound and preach the word of God. I was amazed at their giftedness and profundity.
I couldn’t help at that time but to compare myself with them. How could God ever use a former pothead and drug user? I didn’t even want to think about all the brain cells I must have killed off in my wilder days. My past antics had retarded normal development of speech and vocabulary. A typical sentence for me was “That’s cool man I can dig it”. I think the word “man” must have been every other word in any sentence I spoke. I never really noticed it among my pothead peers but after I became a Christian I became very sensitive to my lack of ability to speak properly. I really felt stupid. How could God ever use me?
Have you ever wondered if God will use you in wonderful ways? Have you ever backed out of something because you felt you weren’t sufficient for the task? It might be wise to back out of some things. I suppose I would do well to back out of leading a team in rocket design. But that isn’t what I’m writing about. I’m writing about things that God may ask you to do.
God often calls us outside of our comfort zones that we may learn to rely on Him alone. He does this in order that the glory and the excellence may be of Him and not of us. Through this we learn of His ability and how He is glorified through our weaknesses. I think I have been learning this lesson my whole Christian life.
When Dr. Bragg was lecturing in class that morning he shared something that I needed desperately. He shared how God spoke through Balaam’s ass. In his concluding words he called us to attention by saying, “Young Men! If God can speak through an ass, He can speak through anyone!”.
I had heard challenging sermons, and awesome lectures from giants in the faith but nothing did more for me by way of hope and encouragement for future ministry than those words of Dr. Bragg. I remember thinking to myself, “God can speak through me!”
From that day on I realized it was not by my eloquence, profundity, or anything else, it is all by the Spirit of the Living God. I believe God can do more with a single sentence spoken by a man in the Spirit than all the profundity and eloquence spoken in the world. Be encouraged and pursue whatever God leads you to. Look not to yourself but to the author and finisher of your faith. Faithful is He who called you, Who also will do it.
When I was in Bible College one of my professors Dr. E.C. Bragg, was speaking on this text. I hadn’t been a Christian long and was wondering why God would lead one like myself to Bible College. In my short time as a student I had already heard eloquent speakers and awesome scholars expound and preach the word of God. I was amazed at their giftedness and profundity.
I couldn’t help at that time but to compare myself with them. How could God ever use a former pothead and drug user? I didn’t even want to think about all the brain cells I must have killed off in my wilder days. My past antics had retarded normal development of speech and vocabulary. A typical sentence for me was “That’s cool man I can dig it”. I think the word “man” must have been every other word in any sentence I spoke. I never really noticed it among my pothead peers but after I became a Christian I became very sensitive to my lack of ability to speak properly. I really felt stupid. How could God ever use me?
Have you ever wondered if God will use you in wonderful ways? Have you ever backed out of something because you felt you weren’t sufficient for the task? It might be wise to back out of some things. I suppose I would do well to back out of leading a team in rocket design. But that isn’t what I’m writing about. I’m writing about things that God may ask you to do.
God often calls us outside of our comfort zones that we may learn to rely on Him alone. He does this in order that the glory and the excellence may be of Him and not of us. Through this we learn of His ability and how He is glorified through our weaknesses. I think I have been learning this lesson my whole Christian life.
When Dr. Bragg was lecturing in class that morning he shared something that I needed desperately. He shared how God spoke through Balaam’s ass. In his concluding words he called us to attention by saying, “Young Men! If God can speak through an ass, He can speak through anyone!”.
I had heard challenging sermons, and awesome lectures from giants in the faith but nothing did more for me by way of hope and encouragement for future ministry than those words of Dr. Bragg. I remember thinking to myself, “God can speak through me!”
From that day on I realized it was not by my eloquence, profundity, or anything else, it is all by the Spirit of the Living God. I believe God can do more with a single sentence spoken by a man in the Spirit than all the profundity and eloquence spoken in the world. Be encouraged and pursue whatever God leads you to. Look not to yourself but to the author and finisher of your faith. Faithful is He who called you, Who also will do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment