Feeling Inadequate?

Feeling unworthy, inadequate, or insufficient?
Welcome to the club! I have this really annoying voice in my head that is constantly reminding me of all my limitations, but the worst part is, is it is all true! I am unworthy to be used by God and I am definitely inadequate! Because at the end of the day no matter how hard I try I still am a sinner just like everyone else.
Both Romans 3:10 and Psalms 14:3 make is very clear, they both say.....
"There is no one righteous, not even one" 

But there is good news! You see God has this funny little habit of using the unworthy, and insufficient. Lets take a look at scripture.

• Abraham, was a liar and a polygamist (Genesis 20:1-3; Genesis 16:1-4).
• Isaac, was a liar also and showed favoritism in his children (Genesis 26:6-9; Genesis 25:28).
• Jacob, was an extortionist and a swindler (Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 27:1-27).
• Tamar, who is the mother of Perez, was a fornicator and a deceiver (Genesis 38:6-26).
• Rahab, the mother of Boaz, was a pagan prostitute (Joshua 2:1).
• Ruth, once worshipped false gods (Ruth 1:4).
• David, was a polygamist, adulterer, murderer, and poor father (1 Samuel 25:39-44; 1 Chronicles 14:3; 2 Samuel 11:1-3; 2 Samuel 11:14-17; 2 Samuel 13:1-39).
• Solomon, was a polygamist and was drawn away from God by his many pagan wives (1 Kings 11:4).
• Rehoboam, foolishly split the kingdom of Israel and led Judah to sin (1 Kings 12:1-24; 1 Kings 14:21-31).
• Abijah, walked in the sins of his father and was not devoted to God (1 Kings 15:1-3).
• Uzziah, disobeyed the worship regulations of God and was struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).
• Ahaz, was very wicked, even leading Israel to sacrifice children (2 Chronicles 28:1-4).

What do all these people have in common? This is the Genealogy of Jesus! God chose this family for the savior of the world, the one who knew no sin, Jesus.

There are a thousand more stories in scripture that tell of how God used the broken and unworthy to do something amazing for the kingdom of God.  Because God is not worried about our inadequacies infact when we give God our weakness and inadequacies only then will he be glorified in our lives.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"But Jesus said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So.... yes, by myself I am extremely inadequate But with Jesus I am unstoppable! 

Praise The Builder Not The Hammer

    I was at the park Saturday with my girls. My youngest Madison (Maddie) is two and a half and fearless. At this particular park there is a really big slide that Maddie desperately wanted to slide down, but she realized quickly that she could not climb up the ladder by herself to get to the slide. So, she called out to me "Mom, help! I went over and helped her climb up the ladder so she could get to the slide. Once I helped her up I was expecting her to say something like this... "You are amazing Mom! I never could have done this without your help, thank you!" (okay, so maybe my expectations were a little high) But that is not what happened, instead she yelled out "I did it!!" And as I walked away laughing a thought popped in my head, "How often do we do that to God?"

    How often do we give God's credit to something or someone else? We may not even realize we do it. It may look something like this....You pray for God to keep your kids healthy and safe and he does. But instead of giving Him the praise we give the praise to vitamins and hand sanitizer.  (I am guilty)
  
    It would be like if Adam went out and built me an amazing new book shelf and he used a hammer. And when I came out to see the bookshelf he built all I could say is "WOW! that must have been one amazing Hammer! Thank you Hammer!" And I gave all the credit to the hammer he used and not to him, the one who built it. It is so easy to give credit to the tools God uses every day in our lives and completely forget to give God the praise for giving us those tools.
  
    My chalange to all of us today is to see God through the tools he uses everyday in our life.  Are your kids healthy because of medicine? Thank God for the Medicine. Are you financially taken care of because of your Job? Thank God for your Job. Did you wake up this morning feeling cruddy so you drank an amazing cup of coffee and instantly felt better? Thank God for creating coffee! =) whatever it may be, today remember to thank the One who gives us all good things.