Leadership Thought So You Are Ordinary, So What?

Dear Friends

Did you ever feel ordinary? You are not exceptional in any area. You don’t have unusual gifts or talents or abilities, and mediocrity seems to be the measure of your existence. If so,  you are in good company. Most all of us have felt like this, or still do, and yet it was through ordinary people that God had done extraordinary things.

John the Baptist never performed a miracle, but Jesus said of him, “Among those born of women there is no one greater (Luke 7:28). His ,mission was to be a witness to the light” (John 1:8), and that may be your mission and mine. All John wanted people to do was be a voice and a light that would cause others to think about Jesus. What greater mission could anyone have than that?

Epaphroditus was a giant of a man, but few outside of the ranks of bible teachers could immediately identify his significance. He brought a gift from the Philippians to Paul while in prison, and he stayed to assist him and to meet his needs. He nearly died in carrying out his mission (Philippians 2:30). How many of us know the name of the person who was used to convert Billy Graham or the one who entered a shoe store one day and led Dwight L. Moody to Christ? Do you know who taught Martin Luther theology, or who discipled George Mueller and snatched him from a sinful life, or who helped the great hymn writer Charles Wesley get under way as a composer of hymns? For the most part they remain anonymous, but you better believe that God know their names.

Think of the ordinary people that God has used throughout history. He used as slave named Joseph to save his family, a shepherd named Moses to lead Israel out or bondage into the Promise Land, a farmer named Gideon to deliver Israel from the

Midianites, a shepherd to be Israel’s greatest king.  I think you get the point. God can use anyone, no matter how ordinary they may appear to be. God is not primarily concerned about bigness, status, or  all-time records. His giants are ordinary people who do their best at whatever God calls them to do because they love Christ.

God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary work. You and I are ordinary, so we qualify. Now let’s get busy and allow God to use our ordinary gifts and talents to do extraordinary things for the Kingdom.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom