Whenever I read the Bible, the one thing that I am constantly reminded of is how flawed humans are, and thus, how great the grace of God is. Humans are full of sin, deceit, impurity, disobedience, stubbornness, we pray to other gods, we steal, we kill, and the list goes on and on. Just take a look at how many crimes occur daily >< Imagine this, your child committing all these sins, never listening to you and always disappointing you. Wouldn't you feel like giving up? Parents always lose their tempers at their children no matter how much they try to be patient. But there is one Father who never gives up on us, who is always there for us. Not just that, he even uses our human weaknesses and sins to do his great work. The 12 Apostles, for example. They were a bunch of people from different occupations and backgrounds, but there were 2 things similar in all of them. Firstly, they were sinners. Next, they had a passion and desire to serve God. Jesus made use of their weaknesses, in this case, their somewhat deceitful backgrounds (tax collectors) to reach out to others like them, who needed help (Luke 5:31 "Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." NIV)
The 12 Apostles were also chosen because of their willingness to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:22: "and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him" NIV) They were willing to give up their families, their homes, their comfortable lifestyles to follow Jesus and walk the significantly more dangerous path. For this, they were rewarded with the ability to preach and drive out demons. (Mark 3: 14-15) From this we can see that God can only use us for his good work when we are willing to serve him and we surrender our lives completely to him.
We will never be perfect enough for God and nothing that we can ever do can bring us closer to God. However, his grace and mercy towards us encompasses our weaknesses, and we should be heartened to know God's grace is sufficient for us, and that His power is made perfect in our weakness.
'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
