What If I Am God’s Plan?

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

I have never found God’s plan to use people as his hands and feet here on earth to be a good one. Frankly, the thought that He is using me to reach anyone is terrifying. God, I am a mess. I am not your guy. I just went to treatment for addiction not that long ago. Well, good, the guy I want you to talk to is an addict, and he’s in jail. Aw nuts, fine, I’ll go.

Like I said I have never thought it a good plan.  Perhaps it would be a good plan if, when we came to faith, God made us all robots, incapable of defect or disobedience. God however, does not turn us into perfect robots. The people I meet in church (including me) are still defective and still need Jesus as much as the guys I meet in jail. Though, in our spirit life, God does grant us Christ’s perfection, He does not force perfection on us in our flesh life.

He has done something better though. He has given us love. It was his love that compelled him to the cross to cover our sins and it is that same love that flows through us to those around us. Peter says it is our purposeful choice to earnestly love each other that causes us to forgive each other’s defects.

This is not natural for me, but when I choose to feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked and visit those in jail, I am not only obeying the words of Jesus, I am directly returning my love to Jesus (Matthew 25:40). When I choose to love those around me, saved and unsaved, I am choosing to be the hands and feet of God here on Earth. I am keeping my eyes on Christ and following his example.

If you asked me what I would most like to be known for, my flesh and pride would want to be known for my intelligence, being a good writer or physician, or for being financially successful. When I keep my eyes on God however, I realize that I am to be known for his love in me.

As Christ’s hands and feet, we of course are to maintain truth and right doctrine. Peter however, says that above all, we are to be known for our love. Without love, we are just a defective gong or clanging symbol (1 Corinthians 13:1). We are to be known first and foremost by our love, which will cover a multitude of defects and which will draw the defective to Christ.