How Can You Be Useful to God?
Introduction
Pippa and I had just returned home from the hospital. Earlier that day, my mother had died of a heart attack while at her desk at work. She was sixty-nine.
I was in a state of shock and turmoil within. I wandered out of our home for a breath of fresh air and was thinking that the one person I really wanted to see was Sandy Millar – our pastor and friend.
At that moment, I looked up and recognised his car approaching. He had just heard our news and had driven straight round to see us. God used Sandy’s arrival that day to bring us great comfort and encouragement.
In today’s New Testament passage, we read that Titus’ arrival was used by God to bring Paul great comfort and encouragement when Paul was in a state of turmoil, exhaustion, oppression, affliction, dread and fear: ‘But God, who comforts and encourages and refreshes and cheers the depressed and the sinking, comforted and encouraged and refreshed and cheered us by the arrival of Titus’ (2 Corinthians 7:6, AMP).
Titus’ arrival brought even further encouragement because he carried news of how the Corinthians were being useful to God. As a result, Paul ‘rejoiced still more’ (v.7, AMP).
However bleak things may appear, God always seems to raise up people who are instruments ‘for noble purposes… useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work’ (2 Timothy 2:21). How can you and I be useful to God?
Psalm 105:23–27
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them...
Commentary
Be prepared to take the lead
Do you sometimes feel you are in a spiritual wasteland in your workplace, your city, or even in your entire nation?
The psalmist recalls one of the bleakest periods for the people of God. God had blessed them. They had become ‘very fruitful’ (v.24). But their success caused them to be hated (v.25a). Their foes conspired against them (v.25b). ‘They abused and cheated God’s servants’ (v.25, MSG).
The people of God were oppressed and enslaved. They were in a ‘spiritual wasteland’ (v.27, MSG). But God ‘sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen’ (v.26). God chose Moses and Aaron. They responded (admittedly very reluctantly in the case of Moses) to the call to lead. They performed miraculous signs and wonders and set God’s people free: ‘They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland’ (v.27, MSG).
Prayer
2 Corinthians 7:2–11
2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
5 For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn —conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him.
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
Commentary
Turn to God in times of trouble
Sometimes in life we hit a wall of pain and distress. It overwhelms us. It could be caused by bereavement, redundancy, sickness, disappointment, or other circumstances beyond our control. It could even, as in the case of the Corinthians, be caused by our own sin or mistakes.
What matters is how you respond. For some, times such as these drive them away from God. For others, like the Corinthians, it is the making of them. Their distress drove them to God. It transformed them into a people whom God was able to use powerfully.
Paul was someone whom God used greatly. But it was not a smooth ride; it was not a stress-free life. Paul did not go around bringing trouble on his own head. He writes, ‘We have never hurt a soul, never exploited or taken advantage of anyone’ (v.2, MSG). Nevertheless, he continues to speak of ‘all our troubles’ (v.4). He writes about ‘fights in the church’ and the ‘fears in our hearts’ (v.5, MSG).
Paul loved the Corinthians (vv.3–4a). Although Paul’s love for them was not always reciprocated, it brought him enormous joy when it was. When he heard from Titus about their longing for him, and their deep sorrow and ardent concern for him, he said ‘my joy was greater than ever’ (v.7).
Paul had the courage to confront them in a letter. Initially it caused them hurt (v.8) – as this kind of confrontation often does. At first, Paul regretted writing the letter but thankfully the Corinthians had the right response. They allowed it to draw them closer to God. We all mess up at times. Godly King David sinned greatly (2 Samuel 11 and 12). Even the great apostle Peter messed up. However, what matters is how you respond.
‘You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him… We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God… end up on a deathbed of regrets’ (2 Corinthians 7:9–10, MSG).
The wrong kind of sorrow, typified by Saul in the Old Testament and Judas Iscariot, did not lead to repentance but rather to death: ‘worldly sorrow brings death’ (v.10c). The Corinthians, like King David (see Psalm 51) and the apostle Peter, responded in the right way.
‘And now isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible’ (2 Corinthians 7:11, MSG).
Titus witnessed the transformation in their lives as a result of their response to distress. He was exuberant about it. He was himself revived and refreshed by everything the Corinthians did for him.
He could not stop talking to Paul about them: ‘Going over again and again the story of your prompt obedience, and the dignity and sensitivity of your hospitality. He was quite overwhelmed by it all! And I couldn’t be more pleased – I’m so confident and proud of you’ (vv.15–16, MSG).
Prayer
Isaiah 5:9–11, 6:1–8
5
9 The LORD Almighty has declared in my hearing:
“Surely the great houses will become desolate,
the fine mansions left without occupants.
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim...
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. ”
8 Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Commentary
Respond to God’s call and say, ‘I’ll go’
As we look around the world today we see many nations in desperate times. The description in this passage is of a nation rife with injustice.
The leaders ‘grab all the land… evicting the old owners… taking over the country, leaving everyone homeless and landless… Those extravagant estates will be deserted. A ten-acre vineyard will produce a pint of wine’ (5:8–10, MSG).
Meanwhile, the leaders make sure ‘their banquets are well furnished’ with music and ‘plenty of wine’ while the common people ‘die of thirst’. Their leaders call evil good and good evil (vv.8–22, MSG).
But what authority does Isaiah have to speak to the society in this way? During a dark period in Israel’s history, God called him. He describes the vision he had around 740 BC, in the year that King Uzziah died (6:1):
He encountered God
Isaiah describes an overwhelming sense of the presence of God – his majesty, holiness, glory and power (vv.1–4). The key words are ‘I saw the LORD’ (v.1). The key to his call was not just a nice experience; it was a life-changing encounter.
He was cleansed
Isaiah saw the holiness of God and said, ‘Woe to me... I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’ (v.5). The closer you are to the light the more it reveals your sin.
But then God takes the initiative and provides a means of cleansing: ‘Look. This coal has touched your lips. Gone your guilt, your sins wiped out’ (v.7, MSG).
It is through the cross of Christ that your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. You do not need to go around loaded by guilt, but rather you can be filled with a sense of God’s love for you.
He said to God, ‘I’ll go’
Isaiah responded to God’s call. God asked him the question – I have done all this for you, now will you go for me? Your whole life is before you, what are you going to do with it? He said, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ (v.8a).
Isaiah responded, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ (v.8b). He saw there was a desperate need. He made no excuses. He did not delay. He said to God, ‘I’ll go’ (v.8, MSG). God used him greatly.
This was nothing compared to the one whom Isaiah prophesied about. He says, ‘The LORD himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’ (7:14). This had a historical fulfilment in the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1). However, the ultimate fulfilment of this prophecy was in Jesus Christ, who is Immanuel, God with us (vv.8,10 – see Matthew 1:23).
Prayer
Pippa adds
In 2 Corinthians 7:2 it says,
‘Make room for us in your hearts.’
One of the things we learnt going through a pandemic is how much we longed to be together face-to-face with our family, friends and church community. Life is still very uncertain, but prioritising people at this time is of most importance.
Verse of the Day
Isaiah 7:4
‘Keep calm and don’t be afraid.’
Thought for the Day
The call of God is not just a nice experience; it is a life-changing encounter.
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References
The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel (commentary formerly known as Bible in One Year) ©Alpha International 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Compilation of daily Bible readings © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 1988. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Limited as the Bible in One Year.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.