God enabled me

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; - 1 Timothy 1.12

I have never felt able for doing God’s work. It is such an awesome and heavy task. There is no way that any of are worthy of doing His work. No one is really able. There are many who are wise in the eyes the world. There are many who are noble. There are many who are strong. There are many who ‘can do anything.’ But even those are not able to do God’s work on their own.

So what does that say about a guy like me who is none of those things? In all the years we have been in this ministry I have never felt able. Many times I have felt like a failure. Far too often I have been on my last legs and ready to quit.

It took me a while to realise that I really am not able in any sense. Nothing in me could make me able to serve God properly.

For some reason though God chose to count me worthy of the ministry and found be faithful and enabled to do His work.

I really don’t get that. Why would He use a lout like me? Surely there are better men than me. I know me like no one else does, but God has still allowed me to be in His service. I think it might do us well to be reminded of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians to see the point of God’s enabling:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

You see, God enables the least like so that we are not tempted to glory in our own strengths and abilities. I know full well that if God can enable me He can enable anyone.

And I don’t think this is just for those in ‘the ministry.’ God can enable any of us to do whatever He wants us to do. All any of us needs to do is to trust His power and let Him work in us.

None of us can anything for Him on our own – but with His enabling power nothing is impossible.