Why Does God Use Some People?
Have you ever wondered why God uses some people seemingly more than others? If so, here are a few thoughts to consider.
It is always curious who God uses to accomplish his purposes.
Rather than choosing a nation quick to obey, he chose Israel, which was prone to wonder. Rather than picking twelve perfect disciples who would never fail him, he chose individuals with flaws and major challenges. Instead of choosing to make his good news known to every person only through the perfect Holy Spirit, he chooses to work through broken men and women like you and me.
Similarly, instead of working primarily through the world’s power-brokers and those of great wealth, James reminds us that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.
In Jesus' day, the power-brokers within Israel were the religious leaders. They were the ones who ultimately decided to put Jesus to death on the cross. They were not only religious but wealthy. After Christ rose from the dead and his work continued with his remaining followers, it would be these same Jewish leaders who would hunt them down like dogs to see them punished or sentenced to death.
James’ point then is strong. These were the people who had put Christ to death; they blasphemed his name, and by showing favoritism to them over the poor was to favor those who hated Christ over those who were passionately seeking him.
Quite a contrast.
Avoiding the Title Mentality
But before we come down too hard on James' audience, we should remember how easy it is to fall into this temptation. In life, it is tempting to focus on those who seem to have the most power. We idolize sports athletes, pop singers, and political leaders.
To this point, several years ago, I recall someone telling me about a youth organization that worked among teenagers in local high schools, aiming to bring them to Christ. Teens were given points for evangelizing and bringing other teens to faith. As if that weren't strange enough, the teens were given more points if they reached someone of influence in the school community—a football star, a class president, or homecoming queen.
The idea was that those who had influence were higher priority targets than those who had none. Similarly, there is a tendency among church leaders to place an emphasis on the titles of people they have helped bring to faith. We place more value on leading someone of influence to faith in Christ, rather than someone of lower status.
