Qualified to Write

“When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

^8-10 And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

^11-13 All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!” (Ephesians 3:7-12 - MSG)

Do you ever feel disqualified to talk about God with others?

I certainly do.  Who am I to presume that my words, written or spoken, will have any real impact in the world?  Who am I to suggest that God is the inspiration behind these words or that He agrees with my beliefs or opinions?  When you compare my oratory efforts, my teaching and my written word, to the world of wise theologians that live among us or the army of saints that have gone before us, why would anyone want to listen or spend time with my thoughts?

And yet, though I am certainly no Paul, it seems we share lowly self-estimations.  “And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head.”  That is true.  But isn’t it as true with any human living on this side of Heaven?  Do any of us truly have a claim on Truth?  Wouldn’t you agree that the wisest of the wise have acquired but a thimbleful of wisdom compared to the ocean of knowledge radiating by and from God?

So if not me – who?

Like Paul, “my task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God has been doing…,” as I perceive it.  To share the experiences, inspirations, ideas, vision, snapshots, and glimpses of God that we encounter each day is the task that each of us has been handed.  We are all called to spread the Good News.  We are instructed to talk about Christ with others – everyone. We are inspired to share our stories of how God is involved in our lives.  We are to demonstrate how the Spirit of God, living within us, has changed our hearts and lives.

“When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.”

Free to love one another.

Free to teach one another.

Free to pray for one another.

Free to serve one another.

Free to be Christ for one another.

Perhaps, as you read the writings of modern theologians, you have become somewhat jaded.  Perhaps you consider them (us) to be simply a chorus of “other” voices, unsure of their origin or source.  Perhaps you find yourself listening to a different truth – disagreeing of what you hear from the Left –  or maybe the Right.

It is my belief, however, that we can all be voices for God.  God is definitely large enough to encompass and exceed all our beliefs. I believe that with each missive about God, no matter how narrow it may seem it, in some way, reveals a very small, yet, accurate image of God for us to see.  To me, while scanning the Internet to find blogs, or published books, or Facebook postings, or tweets, or Pin-It, or whatever the latest medium happens to be, I find God at work. God inspires writers, poets and songwriters today as much as he ever did. Hearing, reading, and writing about God is Holy work.

Nearly every time I turn to the Bible I find verses that pop off the page with truth that strikes to the heart of who I am and what I’m doing. It is an incredible experience.  Sharing those experiences with others is not only a dutiful response to God’s calling, it is a drive from within that cannot be squelched. And as I give in to the squelchlessness I find myself equipped to write or say those things God wants said.

I pray that from this writing, you too can “Be Proud!”