God hath chosen the foolish things of the world

I Corinthians 1:26-27 "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise man after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; for God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."
You may be a person who has had some failure in your life. You may see yourself as a nobody, a loser, a has-been, or even a never was..but beloved..take heart..that is NOT how God sees you! We tend to look at each other through our accomplishments or at how much money we have in the bank, or by what we do for a living. Some tend to size someone up by their outward appearance. We see a man in a nicely pressed suit with every hair in place, and we assume that he is someone who is really successful. Then we see a man whose clothes may be a little wrinkled..or maybe he hasn't shaved that day..and we size him up to be someone we wouldn't want to spend time with.
God has taught me a lot in this area the last few years.. Because we do prison ministry, we have met some of the kindest people in the world..in jail! I remember one of the men who came to address a group of inmates at a facility we were at in Ione a couple of years ago. This speaker himself had been an inmate in that facility years earlier. He had tried to murder his stepfather..he had literally held a gun to his stepfather's head while the man slept, and would have pulled the trigger, but somehow got interrupted. He later committed other crimes and ended up doing several years of hard time. While he was in jail, he attended a church service and got saved in the jail..This man and his stepfather..the one he tried to murder years earlier, are now both preachers..the Lord gave this man that others would have considered to be a "loser" the privilege of leading his stepfather to Christ..and now they have a church together in Vacaville! His story moved many of the inmates to tears..so many could identify with his life story. Another man that we saw in jail had cerebral palsy. He couldn't walk very well, and he couldn't talk very well at all..but his testimony was one of the most powerful that I'd ever heard! Grown men were weeping! Both of these men may have at some time wondered what their life would ever amount to..but when God intervened, He opened doors for both of them to minister in a way that no one would have ever dreamed of. God's word says that if you are not wise, not mighty, or not noble, according to the flesh, then you are a prime candidate for Him to call on.
The world may pass them by..the small, the weak, the forgotten, and those who would see themselves as losers, but God CHOOSES them to confound the so-called "mighty" in the world. I have felt this to be true even in my own life. I have wondered myself this last month why God would choose me to write a daily devotion..when there are clearly those who have so much more insight into the word of God than I..and can write and express themselves in a much clearer way..but the Lord has given me a burden to encourage people..He has given me a real desire to see people grow..these are the things that HE has put into my heart..and so, I, like others, couldn't stop if I wanted to.There is so much influence in the world today that isn't good..we need to stay encouraged daily. So..for all of us..from Moses, to Jeremiah, and I'm sure many of you..as well as myself..who sit back and scratch our heads, wondering why God would call on us, because we may see ourselves as the weak, the forgotten, the powerless and the feeble.. God sees that this is a heart that is pliable. He sees that this is a heart that He can plant something in that will grow. God can use your weaknesses. God can use the forgotten and even the small..Read the story of David and Goliath sometime, and you'll see what I mean.
Growing up, my husband was a stammerer..he just couldn't get his words out. Try as he might, he was continually embarassed about his speech, and so he just became quiet. He just withdrew pretty much and only spoke when he had to. I cringe at the thought that he might have stayed in that condition..had it not been for the Lord "seeing" his heart, and knowing that He could plant something there..When Ray saw himself as feeble, God knew that some day..He would have him stand up in front of a group of inmates and share his own testimony.The enemy would have loved to see Ray silenced and sitting on the sidelines forever..but Beloved, God is a God of hearts. He sees your heart. He knows every inch of that heart, because He created it.
Don't ever think that you are too far gone for God to "plant" something in your heart. Don't ever believe that you are "less" than someone else. God sees you as His beloved. Remember from yesterday..YOU are His inheritance! He would have laid down His life..if YOU were the only one to lay it down for!!! He loves you!