A common criticism of the Church is that it is full of hypocrites. One might respond by saying, yes, the Church is full of imperfect people and because of sin, hypocrisy exists. Backstabbing, deception, lying and pride can be on full display. And this can cause us to wonder how God could ever use the Church. How can God use such broken people to bring His will to pass and glorify Himself? Maybe you’ve wondered that about yourself.

Yet the more we study Scripture, the more we discover the problems we have today are the same problems people have had throughout history. And more importantly, we discover in ourselves the same troubles we see in those around us. Others can look at us and ask the same exact question we are asking!

But as we read through the story of Scripture, we also see that God used these people – as broken and sinful as they were. This is good news for us, because it reassures us that He can also use us for great good and for His redemptive purposes. God still uses us to bring blessing to this world – not because of who we are but because of who He is. 

• What makes you feel as if God cannot use you? How have you seen Him use you in surprising ways?