So often when we look at ourselves we only see our flaws, our imperfections and our shortcomings. We see all the ways that we fail to be perfect people; kind, patient, loving and full of self-control. This image of ourselves tends to affect the way that we think God sees us.
It’s a lot easier to believe that God loves you, that God is proud of you, that God will do mighty works through you when you feel that you are living up to all the standards of a good Christian. But when you are not happy with yourself, when you don’t love yourself, when you are disappointed in yourself, you find it hard to believe that God could work through you, let alone love you. But that is not how God works. God is not interested in your perfection because God does not love perfect people, He loves sinners.
God Loves Sinners
But God demonstrated His own love towards, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
Do you hear the profound truth in those words? It says here that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Jesus suffered a brutal, humiliating and painful death to give us freedom, peace and healing – all before we had even thought of Him, before we had ever loved Him. He did all this for us whilst we were enemies of God, full of sin.
This verse should make it clear that God’s love has nothing to do with who we are and everything to do with who He is. God is love (1 John 4:8) and His love is perfect, unconditional love that never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) You can see this by what He did for us on the cross. He was nailed there not for the righteous, but for the lost. Not for the perfect but for the imperfect. Jesus was nailed there for tax collectors like Levi, (Mark 2:14) for the woman by the well living in sin, (John 4:6-18) for the adulteress who deserved to be stoned to death (John 8:3-11) and He was nailed on the cross for you and me.
If He would do that for us before we even thought of being good, how can we doubt that He love us? How can we doubt that He would still use us now, as we endeavour to be more and more like Him? For just as God loves sinners, He will use sinners.
God Uses Sinners
The Bible is filled with stories of great women and men who were greatly used by God. People who defeated giants, saved families, parted seas and destroyed mighty enBut what is important to note about all these people is that they were not perfect. Look at David, a man after God’s own heart but he committed sexual sin. (2 Samuel 11:2-4) Look at Rahab, she was saved from the destruction of Jericho and yet she was a prostitute. (Joshua 6:17) Then there is Paul, one of the greatest Apostles who not only persecuted but killed God’s people. (Acts 8:3)
These people were far from perfect but God still loved them, He still blessed them and used them despite their shortcomings and their sin. God is not looking for spotless, blameless people. That is not to say He will never use someone like that, He has and will. But more than anything God is looking for a heart that is open and willing to be used by Him. The Pharisees were righteous and blameless but Jesus rebuked them because their righteousness was hypocritical and their hearts were far from Him. (Isaiah 29:13)
The reason God makes a habit of using imperfect people is that they are humble. When you have knowledge of God’s greatness and understand how much you have been forgiven; you are less likely to have a hard heart or to be full of pride. Thus you will be more sensitive to God and He can guide and use you. (James 4:6)
God Will Work Through You
So what can you get from all this? What you can get is the truth that God loves you and will work through you. It doesn’t matter whether you were not the kindest person today, it doesn’t matter if you failed to love someone as you should, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve failed. God loves you and He will use you. Why? Because it’s not about you. It’s about God and His goodness and His perfection and His grace. This is what you should rely and rest on. Look to Jesus and the finished work of the cross. We are the righteousness of God in Christ, not the righteousness of God in ourselves. So we need not be worried about trying to meet those standards on our own, we meet them in Christ.
That is not to say that we should not desire to be better people in every area of our lives, but we must know that God will work through us and mould us, He is the one who will help us be the people we should be.
So, if you are coming face to face with your imperfections every single day and are struggling to believe that God could ever love you. Stop. Breathe. Remember that you are human, forgive yourself and know that God has already forgiven you. Remember that God loved you before you did anything good and that He still loves you. He loves you at your worst and still sees you as worthy, He still thinks upon you (Psalm 40:17) Finally, remember that God does not love the perfect but the imperfect, He loves you not because of what you have done but He loves simply because it is who He is.
