Heaven Meets Earth Week 5

As we step into 2026, we're invited to examine a profound question that often holds us back from fully experiencing God's work in our lives: Who does God use? Drawing from Luke 3:1-20, we discover that God doesn't call the qualified—He qualifies the called. While the passage lists emperors, governors, tetrarchs, and high priests, the word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness. This pattern echoes throughout Scripture: Abraham was old, Moses had a speech impediment, David was an adulterer, Peter denied Christ, and Paul persecuted Christians. Yet God used them all powerfully. The central message challenges our excuses and self-disqualification. We often compare our 'day one' with someone else's tenth year of faith, forgetting that every person we admire in their spiritual journey once stood exactly where we stand now. The call to repentance—metanoia, a fundamental change of mind about sin and God—isn't a one-time event but an ongoing practice that prepares us for God's use. When we truly see our sin as God sees it and respond with genuine repentance, we position ourselves to be vessels through which He can work. This year offers us a fresh starting line, an opportunity to say 'yes' to God's calling, regardless of our past or perceived inadequacy.