He'll Make Do

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Message (MSG)

26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

Last week we discussed being obedient in the pursuit of His purpose for your life. Of course this is much easier said than done. Part of the reason you may feel that way is because you feel like you don't have enough to offer. 

Life isn't a fairytale. Everything doesn't have the perfect ending, I mean yes, everything works for your good, but it doesn't always feel good when it happens. Sometimes we become a little jaded or stripped of life, and we feel like we have nothing to offer. But God chose you for that particular purpose for a reason. You don't have to be the best of the best to do God's work. 

The worst thing you can do in the spiritual as well as the natural is compare yourself to others. We see people, like Kierra Sheard or Briana Babineaux, both super anointed and preacher's kids. Looking at them, you would think they got it all together, but they don't. You don't know what they had to go through for them to be where they are right now. They both can sing, but their natural talents are nothing without God putting His hand in it. You may look at them and say "God I can't sing like them. I can't speak like them so I'm not doing this." But I want you all to know you are enough. 

It doesn't matter what other people think. People are always going to have something to say. Look at Cardi B (it's not the most Biblical example, I know). She's the people's champ. Everybody loves her. If you don't like her music, you would still love her energy. For the last weeks she's been in the blogs about supposedly being pregnant. She kept denying it and kept denying it, and then on SNL she debuted her pregnancy. Immediately after all the negative comments came. People were talking and talking but failed to miss the fact that this girl is pregnant. Children are a blessing regardless of the circumstances in which they are conceived. People completely missed the blessing in all of it. They kept saying she was pregnant, and then she admitted it, and they're still not happy. 

Galatians 1:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

You can't look for people's approval anyway. People's approval shouldn't even matter when it's not about them; it's about God. People are the ones that would make you think what you have to offer is not enough, but when God is in it, they'll get proven wrong every time. 

Let's take a look at the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. 

Matthew 14:13-21 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus has performed  miracles over and over in the Bible. No one would've thought that Jesus would have fed 5000 (well more than that because there were also women and children) with 2 fish and 5 loaves. Some of you are looking at God and saying, "God how can you use me? All I have is 2 fish and 5 loaves." Even if that is all you have, give it all to God and watch what He does with it. 

In other times circumstances we may feel like life has taken away everything that we have. It's like when Jesus changed the water to wine. 

John 2:1-11 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Two very interesting things happened here. First thing, there was nothing left but water. Try to give a little kid water to drink and see how they react, especially after they've had a lot of juice. It's not fun. That's how life treats us sometimes.  When things go well for so long and then something bad happens, it's like we've ran out of wine. Secondly, Mary told the servants to listen Jesus. That is key in being used for His purpose. You can't obtain the purpose if you don't listen. 

Obviously the miracle was Jesus turned water into wine. In the same sense, God can take your water, your bad situation, and turn into something better, like wine. However, you have to listen to Him and be aligned with him. Even when you think you don't have enough or you have nothing left, God will make do.