Used by God? - Part 2
By Mike Rule

We often define God's working in and through as His "using" us, but is this accurate? Let's put this in the context of marriage in it's purest form. Is a wife ever happy to be used by her husband? Of course not. It violates her dignity and her value as a human being. However, because she loves him she IS happy to share in all aspects of the marriage relationship, but it isn't at her expense. It flows out of a heart of love for him and she is happy to participate with him.

This past summer I had a repair job to do on a friend's car, but had thrown my back out. Most of the job entailed laying on my back under the car replacing a hard to reach power steering pump. It was miserable for me and I was in a lot of pain. As I was working, my wife Becky came out in her grubby clothes and said, "You just tell me what to do and I'll do it." She didn't have a clue what the job was or how to do it, but her love for me was expressed in laying aside all her agendas for the day and coming alongside of me. She was expressing her love for me by being the hands to accomplish the task.

So the question is, did I use her? No, I didn't. I simply allowed her the freedom to express her love by coming along side of me in the work I was doing. She didn't understand all that was being accomplished through her hands, but she was happy to express her love and share in what I was doing. And I was happy to participate with her as well.

Are we an instrument in His hands or does He hold us in higher regard than that? Jesus said "I no longer call you servants because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing, but now I call you friends." He also said, "There is no greater love than a man lay down his life for a friend," but we miss the next verse... "and you are my friends if you do what I command." What is it that He commands? "The greatest commandment is this, that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. All the prophets and the law are summed up in these."

My point is this: He doesn't use us to accomplish His work, but He does work through us. It flows out of the love we have for Him; we are happy to participate with Him. We may not always understand all that He is accomplishing, but the point is we are simply enjoying and expressing our love to Him.