You Have a Lot To Offer; Don’t Excuse Yourself From God’s Plan

You and me — we have a lot to offer. I know it doesn’t always feel that way. In fact, for some of us it seldom does. 

But we do.

God didn’t just birth us on earth to wander aimlessly. He has a job description for each person.

Yes, you too. 

According to Ephesians 2:10, “we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

Micah 6:8 gets a bit clearer on what those good works might be: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

to do justice, God calls each of us to deal with others fairly, rendering to everyone their due, with equality to all and oppressing none. 

 and to love kindness, Whenever we act, we are to do so with kindness and mercy, serving others in their needs. 

and to walk humbly with your God, Perhaps most importantly, we are to be in constant fellowship with God, enjoying our relationship with Him and surrendering our will to His far better plan. 

There you have it: our Godly task list in a nutshell.

But

Notice how God puts no restrictions on these charges. We are never too old or too young, too sick or too wounded, too busy or too slow to walk in His plan for us. 

We are never too old or too young, too sick or too wounded, too busy or too slow to walk in God's plan for us. Click To Tweet

But we come up with plenty of our own excuses, don’t we? 

How many times have we failed to reach out to someone in need because of busyness or inconvenience? 

How often have we skipped our designated time with God because something “more urgent” came up? 

How often have we missed an assignment from God because we felt inadequate to the task?

In fact, years ago I almost opted out of teaching Vacation Bible School because of fear and feelings of inadequacy. Thank God I didn’t: Serving in VBS has blessed me in countless unexpected ways. Read more about that here, 11 Important Lessons Learned, and here, 11 Reasons I Can’t Quit. 

When Buts Butt In

The truth is when we excuse ourselves from God’s plan, we miss out on the blessings He has intended for us and for others.

Our “buts” hinder His blessings.

When we excuse ourselves fm God's plan, we miss out on blessings intended for us. Our 'buts' hinder His blessings. Click To Tweet

I’m not speaking of earning salvation here. Jesus Christ already paid the price for each of our sins with His blood. Salvation is a gift, free and clear.

But God also blesses us in our earthly walk. Walk away from His calling and miss those blessings. 

We all have excuses for walking away from or around the good works God has laid out for us. In our minds, our “buts” have validity, our excuses seem sound.

And truly, if we were to tackle them in our own strength, those excuses may hold water.

No Excuse

However, God isn’t a “hands-off” kind of god. He doesn’t just task us and turn His back. He is in the trenches with us, strengthening, guiding, equipping. 

And He doesn’t just give assignments to the smartest or strongest or healthiest. The Lord doesn’t have a plan for everyone but you or me, nor is His plan revoked if our circumstances change. 

No, Friend, whether you are uneducated, poor, young, elderly, ill, or disabled, you do have a lot to offer. I know because you are still here on earth.  

Don’t sell yourself short. God doesn’t, and He has plenty for you to do in serving others and bringing Him glory. 

God has plenty for you to do in serving others and bringing Him glory. Yes even you! Click To Tweet

Don’t let your “buts” get in the way of His blessings. Step out boldly in service to Him and in relationship with Him. 

Because God’s earthly plan for you only ends when your earthy life ends. Then you’ll never be tempted to utter “but” again.

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.” John 15:16

Reflections: When are you most tempted to offer God excuses instead of obedience? How might your buts prevent you from receiving His blessings?

I’m thrilled to link up with Suzie Eller for #livefreeThursday and this week’s prompt, “when my ‘but’ gets in the way.” I love these special linkups. They provide an abundance of great inspiration and encouragement all in one place. Click on the image below to check them out.

By His grace ≈

Julie