{"id":310,"date":"2010-07-24T09:38:07","date_gmt":"2010-07-24T13:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310"},"modified":"2010-11-26T18:49:53","modified_gmt":"2010-11-26T22:49:53","slug":"willling-to-be-used-by-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310","title":{"rendered":"Willling to be Used by God"},"content":{"rendered":"

We will start transitioning this blog from being just an “updates and pictures website” to also be a blog.\u00a0 We know that updates and pictures are what a lot of you will be coming here for but we also want to be able to provide an opportunity for learning along with us.\u00a0 We have a long road of learning and ministry ahead of us, which we are excited about, and we want to provide the opportunity for those who are interested to learn along with us.<\/p>\n

On that note, I just wanted to share a word from the Word in my devotions this morning.\u00a0 In reading from Luke 1, we see how Mary is called by God to be a servant of His use.\u00a0 This message, of course, comes via the angel Gabriel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The announcement in Nazareth shows that Mary came from humble, agrarian roots. Galilee was not a respected region. It was hardly the expected locale for one sent from God.\u00a0Gabriel, the same angel who spoke to Zechariah, brings the divine message.\u00a0 Mary reflects the person whom God unexpectedly chooses to use. She brings no outstanding credentials to the task and lives on the edge of the nation. She brings nothing on her r\u00e9sum\u00e9 other than her availability and willingness to serve. But those characteristics are the most basic ones anyone can offer God. So he puts her to use in his plan, taking her through a process for which she has had no training or preparation. He simply promises to be with her in the journey, and she responds by being willing to go on the ride. The angel, faithful in his task, wants Mary to know just how favored she is. With God\u2019s grace behind her, Mary knows that she can do what God asks. The text\u2019s description of her as a virgin reveals that she had grown up with a sense of personal responsibility and integrity.<\/p>\n

The humble\u00a0setting\u00a0of Jesus\u2019 birth not only reveals the nature of God\u2019s plan, it also reveals the character of God\u2019s heart. God loves those who are humble in spirit. Even his Son, as the King of Israel, the Promised One of all time, is born of a humble, country maiden. This example of God\u2019s unpretentiousness is an attitude that we as his children should possess. We might expect great things from God and anticipate that he will work through the great in society. But God shows his greatness by working with anyone on the street who is willing to be used by him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This text and understanding of the text speaks volumes to me (Joel) this morning.\u00a0 In the process of my call, I definitely did not have an angel Gabriel type moment, but surely had God has spoken to me and my wife about our lives.\u00a0 What’s interesting to me is my response to my call compared to that of Mary.\u00a0 My response was “let’s do it God! but first, let’s go to school for 8 years!!!”\u00a0 Now, I do feel strongly that God brought us to Chicago for schooling and to bring us into the Covenant and to Northwest Covenant Church.\u00a0 But I am amazed at Mary simple and perfect response, “<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I am the Lord\u2019s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

How often do we not feel qualified to serve?\u00a0 How often does inadequacy and insecurity step in?\u00a0 Mary had no reason to feel adequate to her task at hand.\u00a0 But she embraced it.\u00a0 She responded simply and perfectly with her servant like heart, which is why God chose her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Do you feel God calling you to be used by Him?\u00a0 I think you do or your not listening or asking.\u00a0 God is always speaking to us and calling to us to respond to Him.\u00a0 Don’t let your feelings of inadequacy step in the way.\u00a0 Let your response be as simple and beautiful as Mary’s.<\/p>\n

Bock, Darrell L. “Original Meaning” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament<\/em>: Luke. By Darrell L. Bock, 57. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, \u00a9 1996.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We will start transitioning this blog from being just an “updates and pictures website” to also be a blog.\u00a0 We know that updates and pictures are what a lot of you will be coming here for but we also want to be able to provide an opportunity for learning along with us.\u00a0 We have a … Continue reading »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[321],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions","tag-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nWillling to be Used by God - Delplog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Willling to be Used by God - Delplog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We will start transitioning this blog from being just an “updates and pictures website” to also be a blog.\u00a0 We know that updates and pictures are what a lot of you will be coming here for but we also want to be able to provide an opportunity for learning along with us.\u00a0 We have a … Continue reading »\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Delplog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2010\/07\/11861-Mary.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joel & Kim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joel & Kim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joel & Kim\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663\"},\"headline\":\"Willling to be Used by God\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310\"},\"wordCount\":690,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"Blog\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Devotions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310\",\"name\":\"Willling to be Used by God - Delplog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=310#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Willling to be Used by God\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/\",\"name\":\"Delplog\",\"description\":\"Serving Christ in Ecuador\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663\",\"name\":\"Joel & Kim\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joel & Kim\"},\"description\":\"We were married in May 2002 and have known for years now that we wanted to be missionaries, Kim since she was 10 years old and Joel since college. God has brought our lives together to serve Him in any aspect we can. God has given us the vision to start a home for at risk children and a medical clinic in Ecuador, South America. This blog gives you a look into our lives and dreams. We know that we are simple people and often feel like Moses making excuses why others would be better equipped for His purpose. However, we cling to the promises that God has given us and we know that if God has called us, He will also equip us. Happy reading!\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\"],\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?author=12\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Willling to be Used by God - Delplog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Willling to be Used by God - Delplog","og_description":"We will start transitioning this blog from being just an “updates and pictures website” to also be a blog.\u00a0 We know that updates and pictures are what a lot of you will be coming here for but we also want to be able to provide an opportunity for learning along with us.\u00a0 We have a … Continue reading »","og_url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310","og_site_name":"Delplog","article_published_time":"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2010\/07\/11861-Mary.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Joel & Kim","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joel & Kim","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310"},"author":{"name":"Joel & Kim","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/#\/schema\/person\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663"},"headline":"Willling to be Used by God","datePublished":"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00","dateModified":"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310"},"wordCount":690,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["Blog"],"articleSection":["Devotions"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310","url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310","name":"Willling to be Used by God - Delplog","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-07-24T13:38:07+00:00","dateModified":"2010-11-26T22:49:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/#\/schema\/person\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=310#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Willling to be Used by God"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/#website","url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/","name":"Delplog","description":"Serving Christ in Ecuador","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/#\/schema\/person\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663","name":"Joel & Kim","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/00871877ff168086e83df0d4f52faff3688dbdeb547f418140c892edae1632c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joel & Kim"},"description":"We were married in May 2002 and have known for years now that we wanted to be missionaries, Kim since she was 10 years old and Joel since college. God has brought our lives together to serve Him in any aspect we can. God has given us the vision to start a home for at risk children and a medical clinic in Ecuador, South America. This blog gives you a look into our lives and dreams. We know that we are simple people and often feel like Moses making excuses why others would be better equipped for His purpose. However, we cling to the promises that God has given us and we know that if God has called us, He will also equip us. Happy reading!","sameAs":["http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp"],"url":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?author=12"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=310"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":586,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions\/586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}