This entire devotional series we have been using the metaphor of our Phones. You don't plug your phone in because your goal is to have a phone with a full battery sitting on the charger. You plug it in because you have somewhere to go and something you need it to do. You need to make a call, send a message, get directions, take a picture, check something, or accomplish something. The whole reason you charge the phone is so that you can use it.

And I think sometimes we miss this spiritually. We can spend our entire Christian life trying to get more charged up. We go to church, listen to sermons, read books, attend Bible studies, listen to worship music, go to conferences, and have our quiet time. None of those things are bad—in fact, they're good things. But if all we're doing is getting spiritually charged and never allowing God to use us, we've missed the point. God doesn't fill us just so we can stay full. He fills us so He can work through us.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He planned for us long ago. That means God didn't just save you from something; He saved you for something. Your life has a purpose. God has things He wants to accomplish through you, and He has already placed things inside of you that can be used to accomplish them.

And that doesn't mean everybody is going to stand behind a pulpit. It doesn't mean everybody is going to sing on a stage or become a missionary in another country. Sometimes God's purpose for you looks a lot more ordinary than that. Maybe it's being the person at work who encourages somebody who is having a terrible day. Maybe it's being the friend who actually listens. Maybe it's serving in the nursery. Maybe it's helping somebody who can't help themselves. Maybe it's opening your home. Maybe it's giving generously. Maybe it's using a skill God gave you to solve a problem. Maybe it's sharing your testimony with somebody who needs to know that God can change a life.

We have a tendency to think that if something isn't big, public, or impressive, it isn't important. But God doesn't measure things the way we do. He is looking for availability, not celebrity. He can take an ordinary person who is completely surrendered to Him and accomplish extraordinary things.

Think about the phone one more time. Your phone may have incredible technology inside of it, but none of that matters if you never take it off the charger. A fully charged phone that never gets used isn't fulfilling its purpose. And a believer who knows the Bible, attends church, prays, worships, and has been filled with the Spirit but never makes himself available to serve, love, encourage, witness, or help others is missing something too. You were made to be used. God chose you for this moment!

That doesn't mean God needs you because He can't accomplish His purposes without you. It means He has chosen to allow you to participate in what He is doing. That's an incredible privilege. The God who created the universe invites you to become part of His work in somebody else's life.

So as we begin this third week, don't just ask God to give you more. Ask Him what He wants to do through what you already have. Ask Him where He wants you to serve. Ask Him who needs your encouragement. Ask Him who needs your story. Ask Him where you can make a difference.

We've spent two weeks getting plugged in and clearing out the things that were draining you. Now it's time to take the phone off the charger.

Today’s Prayer

Father, thank You for creating me with purpose. Thank You that my life isn't an accident and that You have prepared things for me to do. I've spent these last two weeks asking You to fill me, renew me, and remove the things that have been distracting me. Now I ask You to use me.

Show me what You have placed inside of me that can be used for Your Kingdom. Show me the people who need what You've given me. Give me the courage to step outside of my comfort zone and the humility to serve even when nobody notices.

Don't let me become satisfied with simply being spiritually full. Help me understand that everything You've given me is meant to be surrendered back to You.

My time is Yours.

My talents are Yours.

My resources are Yours.

My influence is Yours.

My story is Yours.

My life is Yours.

I'm ready to be used.

In Jesus' name, Amen.