An Important Note To Students And Teachers
People who make the most committed Christians are broken people. Why? Broken people appreciate their salvation in ways that people who never dealt with personal adversity can. There is nothing like going through personal brokenness to equip a person to value divine forgiveness.
The experience of being a broken person does not automatically equip all such people for extraordinary spirituality. That also requires a faith in what God did and does through Jesus Christ that leads to conversion. Those with the courage to combine the recovery from brokenness with faith in God are capable of generating an exceptional spirituality. That exceptional spirituality is expressed in an incredible desire to trust God, an amazing ability to be compassionate toward people, and an uncanny insight into encouraging the struggling. No one can help others see hope like those who descend into the pit of despair and allow God to help them climb out. Such people have a depth, an insight that astounds many.
The best elders and deacons are produced by those "who have been there." The best preachers are those who are willing to share the lessons they learned from flaws. The best teachers are those who have learned from experiences in a harsh world as well as from God's teachings. The most committed Christians have learned from human despair and divine help.
Caution: Such people can minimize or destroy the lessons they learned if they let their experiences make them arrogant. Just as brokenness can provide enormous insight, arrogance can take credit from God. As the wisdom produced by brokenness can enthrall, the arrogance of recovery can become insufferable.
In this series, we will see how God used flawed, broken people to accomplish the incredible. These people were open to God and to serving with great faith. Some came from the depths of poverty. Some came from humble backgrounds. Some fell flat on their face, and let God pick them up. Some found the price of faithfulness and commitment was greater than they were willing to pay. Yet, in every situation, God was equal to the task. Failure, when it occurred, was human and not divine.
In this concluding series on this theme, hopefully you will understand (with a hope beyond explanation) that flawlessness and perfection are never an option. Yet, the courage of a faith in the God Who sent Jesus is always an option. God specializes in using broken people to achieve His purposes. This occurs for three reasons. (a) It is obvious in such people that God is at work. Things happen because God is at work, not because some incredible person is at work. (It is a matter of service, not of outstanding ability.) (b) People who have the courage of faith in God are not "sold on their own goodness." (c) Most people who have been broken and recovered by trusting God are not fearful of "getting their hands dirty."
May you not be captured by your flaws. May you look at God. May you have the courage of faith. May you choose to be useful to God by having faith in God's ability.
