1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
As the title to this lesson states, God is using you whether you realize it or not, if you are His child and living your life in obedience to the teachings of Jesus.
If you are not His child, He could be using you too.
Let us look at a couple of examples where God used those who were far from Him, to accomplish His goals.
A Brief Look at How God Uses Non-Believers
(1) In our first example, we see where God used the evil plan of Joseph’s brothers to bring about something great.
The brothers were jealous of Joseph and in an attempt to kill him, actually caused Joseph to thrive and save the Hebrew nation.
Please read the entire story in Genesis.
Genesis 50:20 KJV
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
(2) In another example, we see where God used a prostitute who did not know God, to save two Israelite spies and help accomplish His goals.
Because Rahab helped the spies, she was promised that her house and family would be dealt with kindly and truly when God gave the Israelites the land.
Please read the entire story in Joshua.
Joshua 2:1-3 KJV
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
(3) In our final and current day example, we see where God uses scientists, doctors and nurses to help cure diseases and restore our health. Some are believers and some are not.
Of course, without a doubt, God can heal us directly. But he has a purpose in all things that He allows to happen, which often includes using other humans to help in restoration of health.
Make no mistake about it, God is still at work in our lives but using others to help us.
God Uses His Children Daily to Accomplish His Purposes
As a child of God, you can be assured that God uses you many times and in ways you are not even aware of.
Yes, some make it a point to verbally “witness” to people whenever they have an opportunity and you may be one of them.
Some teach, and you may be one of them.
Some preach, and you may be one of them.
Some sing or play an instrument, and you may be one of them.
But, if you don’t find yourself in any of the above groups, we have breaking news for you. If you are living a committed and surrendered life to Jesus, God IS USING YOU in ways you might not even think about.
You don’t have to be a preacher, teacher, singer or outspoken witness for Christ to be effective.
In fact, we have believed for many years that the most effective witnesses for Christ and ambassadors for God, are none of the above.
Words are great, but they don’t compare with the impact of living a Christian life for others to see.
We believe that the greatest impact on non-believers is when God’s children live “fruit of the spirit” lives, to show others the teachings of Jesus.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law
Seeing the lives of God’s children displaying the fruit of the spirit is actually more effective than hearing words from a teacher or preacher or witness. Words that are not backed up by our daily lives are "cheap, meaningless and harmful to the work of God."
When others see us exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, they know it isn’t just spoken words. They see that it is real. It is visible.
Also, when those we come in contact with see us living by the “Golden Rule”, doing unto others as we want others to do unto us, they see the teachings of Jesus.
Our prayer is that we will live holy, pure and obedient, displaying the fruit of the Spirit and the golden rule daily, so that others will see the teachings of Jesus in our words and actions.
We will never know how many people we have had a positive spiritual influence on, in this life.
We will never know how many people have come to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior because of their seeing the teachings and love of Jesus in our lives.
But we can be sure that God has been using us to accomplish His goals and for His glory. If you are living a “fruit of the spirit” life, don’t ever doubt it.
God is using you for His glory, honor and purpose, and He wants to use you more.
RVH