8 Ways God Can Use You Today

God can use any of us, but consider these 8 ways that God may use you for His glory.

Encourage Someone

God can use any of us, but consider these 8 ways that God may use you for His glory. First of all, I notice that smiling is as contagious as yawning. So is encouraging someone. Paul wrote that we should “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess 5:11) and not tear each other down. They say it takes ten positive words to build someone up that’s been discouraged by one bad word. Why not build someone up today…up is where heaven is anyway and that’s where we headed, right?

Give to Someone

Have you given someone something today? You can, if it’s still early. It doesn’t have to be money. You can give of yourself. You can hold the door open for someone. You can pick something up off the floor or ground that they drop. You can smile at them and shake their hand or give them a hug. Give yourself away. The interesting thing is the more of yourself that you give away, the more you actually receive in blessings. Paul reminds us to “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).

Visit Someone

I had a friend come into town recently that I hadn’t seen for a long time. It was refreshing to catch up on things but you can also pick up the phone and call someone today, email someone, send an unexpected “Thinking of You” card. Whatever you do, try to go out of your way and visit or talk to someone today that you normally don’t see or talk too. Make it a special, “no-occasion” thing. Paul tells us to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3).

Thank Someone

I believe that one of the greatest sins the Christian can commit is a sin of omission. It is the failure to give thanks to God but also to others. On occasions, I just tell my wife, “Thank you for….” and then just start listing the many things that she does. Paul said “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you” (Phil 1:3). I like to borrow Paul’s line and tell people, “You know, I thank God for you for being my wife, daughter, son, friend, etc.” Even a “Thank you” note makes a great and lasting impression. It costs very little but oh, the benefits they and you reap are priceless.

Open to Correction

I have told the congregation that if I miss a Scripture or I was wrong about something in the message, please tell me. I would rather be corrected than be incorrect, especially behind the pulpit! The only parts of my sermons that are perfect are where I read out of the Bible. My part? Not so much. If I close my ears to all criticism, I might fail to learn something because the person who is criticizing me might be right and I’ll lose an opportunity to learn something about myself and grow. There is such a thing as constructive criticism, but if we fail to listen to anybody, then people will feel that it’s useless to try and help us because we’ve cut them off by our own refusal to listen. That is purely pride! And it is sin, and I’ve done it!

Grace and Humility

Can you help someone in some small way?

When the Apostle Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel (Phil 1:12-13), there were some who used that imprisonment as a way of criticizing him, but they were trying to discredit him, so it certainly wasn’t constructive criticism. In fact, they were doing it for their own gain (Phil 1:17). Even so, Paul still managed to rejoice over the situation (Phil 1:18). And Jesus sees nothing wrong with criticizing someone if it is for their own good, like if they are in sin and the criticism leads them to repentance (Matt 18:15-20; Luke 17:3), but if someone has an issue with you, don’t quickly discount it. With grace and humility, see if they may be right and thank them for them trying to point out something we might have been doing wrong. Myself? I appreciate knowing when I’m wrong.

Love Your Enemies

Jesus told us that we might be criticized, and worse, “be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matt 10:22). They “will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17), so we can’t always take it personally. They may criticize us for being “holier than thou” because we’re not running with them in sin or drinking at the office party. They might feel convicted of their own sinful lifestyle because of your obedience to God. Just think about the fact that we were once like them; “sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who have sex with men, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers or swindlers” (1 Cor 6:9b-10).

We must not forget that we were once as they are now (1 Cor 6:11). If not for the Spirit’s changing us into new creations or creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), we’d still be where they are now. That’s the reason we must show compassion for them, pray for them, love them and consider that we were once as they are now. Jesus reminds us in Luke 6:27-28 to “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” We are never more like God when we love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray for those who abuse us. That’s the same love with which He loved us, loving ungodly, wicked enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10).

“…Love your enemies..”

Compassion for the Hurting

Have you ever considered that those who criticize you might be hurting? When someone snaps back at you, don’t respond in anger but in compassion. Remember, if they’re not a follower of Christ, they don’t Maybe they see the joy you have and are envious of that. They want that same joy but without the have the peace and joy of God we have. If we think about people who lash out at us and at others, they could well be hurting, going through a divorce, facing serious health issues, or something we don’t even know about. When others criticize us, Jesus might have us think about what they’ve gone or are going through right now and that they might be hurting. May God use you and I to help comfort them with the same comfort God gave us when we needed it (2 Cor 1:4).

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: What Does God Say About Serving Others?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Encouraging, God's Glory, service, serving, Witnessing