I am amazed at how God can use me in spite of myself. I feel inadequate sometimes, but I trust God to use me anyhow. Knowing I am weak but He is strong, God can use me like a glove.
On a job one time God used what I was doing to strengthen me to continue doing His work. I was welding details for fixtures in the welding booth. Laying my welding hood aside and taking my welding gloves off to adjust the parts that I was welding, I noticed something.
I notice that my welding gloves were lifeless and unable to move without my hand. I placed my hand in the gloves and moved my fingers inside of them, noticing that the welding gloves only became active when my hand was in them.
At that moment and very second, I realized that God wanted me to be His gloves. His gloves to be use not by my ability but his ability. He wants to put his power into me and then work through me like I was doing the welding gloves.
Do you realize that God wants to use you the same way? Do what God wants, not what people want. People will always think they know what is best for you.
Some people in the Church are prophetic, which means they can tell the future. It seems that no matter what you do, someone always knew you would.
2 Timothy 2:3-6 gives us three examples that God can work through believers if they let Him do so. They are a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer.
- Soldier (v3) – Doers (Obedience)
- Athlete (v5) – Deny-self (Discipline)
- Farmer (v6) – Delay (Patience)
A soldier is a part of an Army that fights and defends. They are required to take orders. People that are over him or her give orders which are expected for them to obey without delaying and questioning.
A soldier’s prime assignment is to obey what his or her superior officer tells them to do. Soldiers are to be the like the book of James and asked to be doers of the Word. God expects His people to be obedient.
An Athlete is expected to discipline themselves. They are to train their athletic skills so that they will be more refined. They are to take care of their body by how they eat, sleep, and exercise.
Self-control is the main object for an athlete. Training themselves to deny anything that will keep them from achieving their skills and goals. For an example, eating candy for a weight lifter is not wise. Denying their desire for candy takes discipline.
Knowing when to do what they need to do to sharpen their skills. Training themselves to get up early, or workout in the Gym, or run the track regardless of how they feel is same way God wants believers to desire to do right. God expects us to use discipline.
A farmer is the last illustration but the most important because it teaches patience. Farmers plant seeds in the ground and have to wait for the seed to become a plant. Then they wait for the plant to grow into a mature plant. Then they wait for the mature plant bare fruit. Then they wait for the fruit bearing plant to produce good fruit.
God is working on the unseen things of your life and wants us to wait and grow. For God to get the fruit He wants out of your life sometimes requires us to have to wait. Delay our desires and let God have His perfect work in us. God expects His people to learn patience.
God does not want our hand in the glove reminds me of this story by Melissa. Melissa said, "When a woman came through her cashier’s line at Wal-Mart, the woman’s purchase came to twenty dollars."
"That’s what I had in my hand. You must be psychic," she joked. "I am," Melissa teased. "I knew exactly how much you wanted to spend." The next customer stepped up and looking at Melissa with a big grin, pulled out a one-dollar bill.
God is looking to see if there are gloves that He can fill with His powerful hand. Will you let God use you, like His gloves? Be available Gloves. "God’s Gloves!"