That Same God

The heroes of the faith had one thing in common: they were all ordinary people with no power of their own. The difference is the mighty presence of God. Times may change, but the effect of God's presence remains the same. - Blackaby

John MacArthur had a couple of good books out a while back "12 Ordinary Men" and "12 Ordinary Women". 

Really look at those men and women in the Bible.  Look at the lives they lead. Look at where they were and where God took them.  Even the 'bad guys'.  The opportunities missed by even the enemies of God left them without excuse.

By no means do I count myself among the pillars of the Bible such as Peter, Paul or John.  However I don't need to compare myself to them.  As Christ said "What is that to you? You follow Me!"

There's a song by a group called Newsong called "That Same God"

Back to the wall scared you’ll fall
What you gonna do
Day and night don’t know why
It’s like the world’s against you
You’re prayin’ for a breakthrough

There was a day when your faith
Couldn’t be held down
God was near enough to hear every word
But somehow, you wish He heard you right now Don’t you know

CHORUS
The same God with you then
Is with you now
The same God who led you in
Will lead you out
So take all the fear and doubt
Go on and lay them down
The same God, the same God
Is with you now

Oh, can’t ya see
Everything happens for a reason
There’s a time
There’s a place for every season
He knows what’s best for you
So don’t be afraid

CHORUS

Just keep holdin’ on
Just keep holdin’ on
Just keep holdin’ on

CHORUS

The same God, is with you now

Yeah, He’s with you now

In Romans, where my reading is taking me now, Paul goes on and on to explain that as of the Cross of Christ, there is no longer a difference between Jews and the rest of the world.  The God of the Jews is also the God of the Gentiles. Gentiles being everyone else who isn't a Jew.

We are all answerable to our Creator.

We are all given a choice to follow Christ.
We are all given, in Christ, the same power to do what we read about in the Bible that was available to those pillars of the Bible.

Our faith and obedience, our relationship with Jesus determines where it goes.

God is only awaiting that last person who will be saved before He calls all the believers who are alive and all those who have gone on before to be together with Him in Heaven. 

I personally believe that the last to be saved will be similar to the thief on the other cross.  He or she won't have time to go to school to learn more about the Bible.  He or she won't have time to be brought to Sunday School, to many sermons.  Won't have time to develop a quiet time with Jesus.  Won't have time to learn how to witness to others.  Won't have time to understand the deeper mysteries of God.   The thief didn't.

This day you will be with me in Paradise.

We Ordinary people whom God has chosen and received have but one mission.  Tell others of the things God has done.  Who knows who that last person will be?

We Ordinary people of God have the same God as those we read about. 

Take note of who the Father didn't choose to be Disciples.   Jewish leaders. Not the Pharisees and Sadducees. Not the high class of the society.  He chose normal everyday people.  A tax collector, fishermen and the like.   There wasn't anything extraordinary about them.  No highly educated.  They were the same as you are.

But what about my past?

So, what about it?  Peter denied Christ. Matthew was a tax collector, despised by his own people.  You have James and John who had a reputation.  You have Paul who had been running down people everywhere just for being a Christian.

Your past is just that, the past.  God can still use you.  Your past may hold the key to someone you will meet that nobody else could get through to.  Ever think of that?

A Pastor who had been through years of painful recovery from a horrific accident was unsure of how he could be used. Yet in every place he went after he could walk again, God mightily used his experience to reach the unreachable.  People who thought they were too far gone.

Let me tell you, dear reader, as long as you are breathing, you are not too far gone.  

The only people who have no hope of a useful life in Christ are those who are dead.

As long as you are breathing there's hope!

There's a place for you in God's Plan.  There's something for you to do.

Be in your Bible.  Be praying to God.
Be who God's creating you to be. 

Peter didn't stay the way he was.
Paul didn't stay the way he was.
John, James all the rest. Didn't stay the way they were before they met Christ.

Isaiah exclaimed "Here am I, send me!"

Just be willing and to go do what God has for you to do.  If God's in it, there's no way to possibly fail.  If God's not in it, there is no way for it to succeed.  Ask for wisdom to know the difference.

Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us.  He is here with us just as He was in the lives of those you read about.