Monday, July 25, 2011

God can use anyone to accomplish Divine purposes.

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: Isaiah 45:1-4 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.

Observation: God used Cyrus of Persia to allow the Israelites to return to their homeland. Cyrus was a pagan ruler, someone who, as indicated in verse 4, did not know the Lord. No matter. God can use anyone to accomplish divine purposes.

Application: Politically speaking, some Christians like to support ‘Christian’ candidates to the exclusion of candidates of other religions or no religion. For me the verses above cause me to think twice about focusing primarily on the faith (or lack thereof) of a candidate. Instead it becomes one factor among many. As we learn through King Cyrus, God can use anyone to accomplish divine purposes.

Prayer:
Lord, thanks for the simple reminder that, whether religious or not, we might still be working for your kingdom. In fact, come to think of it, in Matthew 25:31-46, you make it clear that sometimes we don’t even realize that we have served you and that, sometimes when we think we’re serving you we’re not. So help us to entrust all things into your hands and pray that you would in fact use us in some way for the sake of your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Isaiah 43-45 and 1 Peter 4)

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