Pound, Pry, Pull

[Confirmation the Lord is moving both of our hearts in the same direction, when Brian and I write similar thoughts.  

I have asked him to be my guest blogger today. ]

There have been times as I worked on a project that I have reached into my tool box and in that moment the tool I needed was not available. I am a son, and have a son, so I am well aware of who likely saw that tool last. Yes, I could complain about not having the right tool, I could even stop the project and go searching for the right tool, maybe even buy or borrow a new one. There have been times though that I have actually used a wrench to pound a nail into a board or a screw driver to pry something apart; even a set of pliers to pull out the bent nail my wrench just hit. I will admit,  I have used tools to accomplish a task for which they were not designed. Pound, pry, pull; the bottom line was, I got the job done even if it took a little longer because I used a different tool than was intended.

As the owner of the tools I can choose to use any of my tools as I see fit. If the right tool is unavailable for the job at hand and I need to get the job done, then I can choose to use the next best tool available. In that project, it is not the tool that decides if or how it is used. It is the owner of the tool that makes the decision.

I often wonder how God’s kingdom would be impacted for eternity if we chose to understand these truths. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have submitted my life to be His tool and He can choose to use me anyway He sees fit.

If God had a tool He intended to use for a kingdom task and it was not available, can he choose to use a different tool? Maybe it would help me in my journey to ask myself which tool am I choosing to be? The one that is available or unavailable? Do I bristle up when the Lord reaches for me, slipping out of His grasp with my own self-will refusing to be used. Do I yield to His will? And if I happen to be the next best tool, can God still do amazing things for the Kingdom with and through me? 

I have been asked on more than one occasion why in the world would I choose to leave a ministry position I love... serving a church family that loves me and my family? Why would I leave a place so close to the ocean, right on the Gulf of Mexico with all of its outside activities on or near the water?  Why would I choose to part with most of my earthly possessions and move my family halfway around the world to live in a third world area that has the highest HIV/AIDS rate of any country on the globe? 

In those moments with those questions I can only reply that as the Lord’s tool He has the authority to use me anyway He chooses.  At this time, for this task, He has chosen to use us in this way. I believe that He knows the end result and I am only a part of the project. A tool in His hand to pound, pry and pull with as He sees fit.

Brian