To Walk Worthy: Part Two
It is true. Women in ministry were the only ones specifically noted to minister to Jesus in his earthly ministry, making a very strong statement in favor of women in ministry….but just what does the term, ministry, entail for a child of God?
Paul repeatedly admonished the New Testament church to “walk worthy” of God’s calling on their lives. To walk worthy means simply ‘to be of value.’ So, just how are we to be of value to a God who needs nothing?
The Key: To be of value to God, we must first learn what God values!
As David once wrote, “What is man? That thou art mindful of him? Even the son of man? That thou visitest him?”
1 Corithians 1:27, 28 says,
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.”
First of all, we need to understand that God uses three things that are inherent in man: foolishness, weakness, and baseness!
The collegiate dictionary states that to be foolish is: to be silly, fatuous, nonsensical, and absurd. We often view absurd people as a waste of our time but fail to realize that such an adjective has been used to describe our faith in God!
According to the “Guide to American Religions” Reference Guide, critics of our faith have stated that we “engage in seizures or uncontrolled fits” in which we “spout gibberish.” We could easily take offense and engage in a long tirade about the necessity of speaking in other tongues as evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost, a requirement for salvation. However, we must realize that to secular reasoning, our behavior is very out of the ordinary!
Also, the secular world often mocks or attempts to discredit our ‘obsession with blood.’ One man even told one of my pastors that he would be happy to attend the church if the preacher would not preach anything about the blood!
They find the importance we place on the use of a single name—ehem, JESUS!—to be a point for ridicule, as I found in one graduate course I took a few years back.
But we know that it is THAT NAME which applies the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to our soul during baptism! It is THAT NAME—as they call it—that heals our bodies, minds, and souls!
It is even THAT NAME which empowers us to become the sons of God! John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name!”
What the world perceives as foolishness, gives us hope and power to overcome the chains of this world!
Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus!”
Secondly, God has chosen to use weakness in his kingdom!
Please note that 1 Peter 3:7 clearly states that women are indeed the “weaker vessel.” God can and will use the weaker vessel…
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary states that weakness is…
An infirmity, debility, disability, frailty, vulnerability, uncertainty, imperfection, or cowardice.
We often exhibit an inability to be perfectly righteous but don’t think that is any surprise to God!
Matthew 19:17 says, “There is none good but one, that is, God!”
Isaiah 64:6 proclaims, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
Even our best day is filled with human frailty, error, and weakness!
1 Corinthians 1:30 says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
We don’t need to worry! He is our righteousness! Any gap we find in our strength is made up by HIM!
Side Note: And for women in ministry, notice…you do not need to pretend to be anything you are not. You have no need to minister in a strained tone of voice, using the same masculine mannerisms as the stronger vessel. You are perfected in your ministry by being what God made you and allowing Him to use that delicate femininity to minister!
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
In who? Jesus!!
We are weak, YES! But, this is all part of God’s plan!
Often, those in the world see us as weak as well. They claim that religion is a crutch for us! We uphold this belief by consistently blaming ourselves when we fail and fall to our knees.
Truly, however, there is no better place to stand than on our knees!
God tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My strength is made perfect in weakness!”
It’s like a mug in the kitchen. If it is filled with creamer to the brim, there is no room for coffee…or so my husband tells me each morning! The same applies to our work for God! What is full our our strength leaves no room for His!
So, God uses the foolishness and weakness to further His Kingdom…but that isn’t all!
Catch our next segment to learn how He uses the base things in His mighty plan! You’ll be surprised what fits into such a category!
