INTRODUCTION:
There once was a Christian man who loved to travel. He wanted to serve God the best he could, but he wasn’t sure how. Until one day he heard about a family moving to Southeast Asia to do mission work and he realized he could combine his two passions of traveling and God. He was a missionary in the Pacific Islands until he died. His tombstone read, “When he moved here, there were none saved. When he left, there were none lost.”
Often, women think to themselves, “What can I do, really?” Or, “Lady’s Days aren’t as important as leading in worship.” Or, worst of all, “I can’t even do much for the kingdom of God.” But these women illustrate that each has something God will use to bring the lost to him. Whether it be our past, like Mary, our present situations like Joanna, or our resources like Susanna. There are many lost souls who need Jesus, whether in the Pacific Island or Swartz Creek, MI and God intends to use us who set out to find them.
GOD CAN USE OUR PAST:
Like Mary… to save the lost. Luke 8:2 tells us Mary had seven demons. Demons in the NT affected people’s health, as we see in Matthew 9:32 and Mark 9:18 – blind, mute & epileptic men. Likely, those in this society who were afflicted by demons were alienated, like we see of the man in Mark 5:4 who was possessed by Legion. Mary likely didn’t love her past, but you can be sure that she let God use her past to save others healed by Jesus.
God will do the same with you. Whatever your past, it might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to know they’re not alone and that God wants them too. There are people you can reach because of your past, that I can’t reach and vice versa. Whatever your past, seven domains and all, God will use it to proclaim and bring the good news of the kingdom of God to the lost.
GOD WILL USE YOUR PRESENT:
Like Joanna… to save the lost. Luke 8:3 tells us that Joanna’s husband Chuza, was Herod’s household manager. Following Jesus would have been a huge risk, as Joanna’s husband’s boss tried to have Jesus killed, and eventually succeeded. But Herod’s household was filled with Roman idol worshipers. Joanna had a mission field in front of her and God was going to use it.
In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas brought the lost to God while they were in jail. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 tells us that Paul used his thorn in the flesh to glorify God. God used Timothy, not despite his youth, but because of it (1 Timothy 4:12).
Your school, job, sports field, friend group, family, and anything else in your life can be used by God too. Like Joanna, proclaim and bring the good news of the kingdom of God to the lost.
GOD CAN USE OUR RESOURCES:
Like Susanna… to save the lost. All we know about Susanna is that she provided for Jesus and His disciples out of her own means. Travel, in ancient times especially, was a very expensive and the consuming affair. Yet Susanna, a woman who probably didn’t work, was using all she had to help Jesus. Her “means” was likely an inheritance and Susanna was willing to let God use it. But that’s not all Christ’s disciples gave Him.
They also gave Him encouragement (Luke 10:21), time (Mark 1:18), and energy (Luke 22:50). We may have money to put in the collection plate, a giving heart to make encouraging cards, or a car to drive your friends to church with you. Whatever you have can be used by God to proclaim and bring the good news of the kingdom of God to the lost.
CONCLUSION:
God needs women who are willing to let Him use their past, present situations, and resources to bring the lost to Him. How many people were saved because of Mary, Susanna, and Joanna?
Philippians 1:6 and Ephesians 2:10 tell us that God wants to use us for His glory. Let God use your love of traveling to make you a missionary, your love of people to open a local soup kitchen, or a simple smile to open the door to a Bible study. God wants to use your past, present situations, and resources to bring the lost to salvation. So what will you let God use to save the lost?
Ana Holland
High school senior