Think Outside the Box

Sound advice offered from David Trotta -

As humans, we have the tendency to judge others based on their outward appearance.  Unfortunately, that is also true when it comes to judging God’s ability to use someone.  We tend to disqualify someone from being used of God because that person doesn’t dress or talk like we do.  Or, because the person doesn’t belong to the same church denomination or has had past struggles with sin.

We need to look past someone’s outer appearance, because God will often use people that don’t fit into our little, narrow boxes.  We need to be very careful of getting into a mindset that we have the fast track on what vessels God will use or not use.

As a matter of fact, something similar happened to our Lord.  He was incorrectly judged by His outer circumstances, and of all places, it occurred in His hometown.  Listen to what is said in Mark 6: 1-5.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

The people of Nazareth made a critical mistake.  They relied on their own understanding and what they saw with their natural eye, and because of that, they missed out on miracles God wanted to perform in their midst, and on a much more tragic scale, they rejected their savior.  All because they looked at where Jesus came from (His outer circumstances), instead of the manifested presence of God in His life.  In this case, their familiarity with Jesus’ family became a stumbling block to them.

Let’s blow up our little box and leave the selection of vessels up to the master conductor.  The bible is littered with examples of people God used who had humble backgrounds, struggles with sin, and even physical limitations.  He alone sees the big picture.  Instead of focusing on the vessel, let’s focus on what God is doing to ensure we don’t miss Him when He is in our midst.  He may have some wonderful gift to impart to us and if we are focusing on the wrong things, we will miss Him.