Never Too Late

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”—Joel 2:28

It’s never too late for God to use you. Unless you’re dead, God can still use you. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, God can and will use you. Maybe you think that your life has been so filled with sin that God could never use you—think again! God is in the business of changing lives and His palette for ministry is more diverse than the stars of heaven.

Peter quotes our passage for the day in the very first sermon in church history (cf. Acts 2:17-18). He explained that it marked the beginning of the end of time when God would pour out His Spirit on both sons and daughters, young men, and old men. God has ordained to use all different types of people for His purpose. And He can and will use you.

Consider for a moment those who think they are too old for doing what God wants them to do. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old when God chose them to have a child (Genesis 17:17). Moses was 80 and his brother Aaron was 83 years old when God called them into service (Exodus 7:7). Joshua led Israel until he was 110 years old (Joshua 24:29). Zechariah and Elizabeth were well past childbearing years and God used them to bring forth John the Baptist (Luke 1:18). And both Simeon and Anna, whom were quite old, testified to Jesus’ Messianic identity while He was a newborn (Luke 2:22-38). It doesn’t matter how old you are—God can and still will use you.

Or perhaps you think you may be too young. How about Samuel? He was dedicated to God’s service when he was a toddler (1 Samuel 1:24) and God spoke to him while he was still a young man (1 Samuel 3:1). God worked through David while he was still a youth to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17:33). And Josiah became king when he was 8 years old (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chronicles 34:1).

Maybe you think that your ethnicity plays a problem? Or perhaps your gender? Think again. Rahab and Ruth were both outside of the covenant community of God, were women and God used them mightily (Joshua 2:1-3; Ruth 1:22; Matthew 1:5). As Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”—Galatians 3:28. And again, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all”—Colossians 3:11. God wants to reach all people with the good news of Christ and it doesn’t matter what your ethnic background or gender is—God wants to use you.

Maybe you have a past that your not proud of? Tamar slept with her father-in-law, Rahab was a prostitute, and Bathsheba was guilty of adultery, but God used them to be in the line of Jesus’ lineage (Matthew 1:3, 5-6). David and Paul were guilty of murder (cf. 2 Samuel 11:15-17; Acts 8:1; 22:20) and their works are some of the greatest in Scripture.

Perhaps you think you have too much education? Daniel and Paul were educated in the Ivy League schools of their day and God used them (Daniel 1:6; Acts 22:3). Or maybe you don’t think you have enough education? The apostle’s Peter and John were “uneducated common men” and God worked through them powerfully (Acts 4:13).

God uses people from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, kings, gardeners, politicians, civil servants, prostitutes, and the common everyday Joe. God uses people in all kinds of situations as well: war and in peace, in exile and at home, in slavery, and in freedom. Think of the apostles and how different they were: Simon Peter and Andrew were fishermen and James and John were business owners (cf. Matthew 4:18-22), Simon the zealot was a Jewish patriot (Luke 6:15) and Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 10:3), which meant that Simon and Matthew would have been on opposing sides of the political spectrum. Simon wanted to bring down the hated Roman government while Matthew was one of its employees—one wonders what kind of conversations they had as they ministered together!

God can and will use anybody. It’s never too late. What’s your excuse as to why He can’t use you? It doesn’t matter what you think, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or from where you’ve come, God can and will use you—you simply need to be open and ready to respond when He calls. And once you are, be prepared to do whatever He calls you to do, because when you do, you will experience the joy of knowing you are doing what God Himself has directed you to do—and that is glorify Him. Amen.