Use Me to Fix Me

5.15.2011

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. NIV

Much of our modern Christianity – at least in the US (as I perceive it) – centers on the notion of, fix me. For the most part we all know how messed up we are – that message seems to be communicated loud and clear. And for the most part we cling to an elusive promise of some kind of future fix through the potential we have in Christ, and (as we’re told) within ourselves to get our act together. And so we live trying our dangedest to be good so that God will somehow notice and then in some way cause us to be better.

So, when Paul made the statement above in his letter to the Church in Thessalonica, he was reminding them that their lives were to be lived in order to please God; and to do it more and more. Pleasing God is not about being good; pleasing God is about obedience. Instead of asking God to fix me; I’m to beg God to use me. My fixing is the by-product of His usage of me.

We will all learn the same way – not necessarily in the same style – but in the same way: God is in charge of every aspect of our lives and we are not. God gives the orders and we are under His orders. In other words, He says, we do. And in the doing is the miracle of the being – and the being is pleasing Him because we are doing what He says to do. And what He says to do is to share Him every opportunity we get with every person we can.

I have lived much of my life wanting to be different, or better, than I perceive myself. I realize that I’ve spent far too much of my time focused on the wrong person: me. It’s time to become the right person by focusing only on Him – and what He calls me to do in His power and presence. None of us is perfect; but we learn to become pleasing by seeking God first over all else in our lives, and then doing what He says to do; not works, but faithful obedience. That’s how it works.

Father in Heaven,
Use me. Amen. I won’t be fixed until You use me. I’ll only be transformed when You use me. And You’ll only use me when I obey You. Use me. Amen.