Role Models

That sinking thought of “Why would God want me?” can show up on your best days and hit even harder on your worst ones. We all know what it’s like to replay our mistakes, feel ineffective with our gifts, and wonder if we have finally disqualified ourselves from being loved or used by God. Today’s short daily devotion meets that shame head-on with a simple reminder: God already knows your story, and he still moves toward you with grace.

We walk through a rapid-fire list of biblical characters who were deeply flawed, complicated, and sometimes downright messy.  The point is not to minimize sin, but to spotlight a consistent theme in the Bible: God does not build his plan on perfect people. He builds it on people who are willing to say, “I’m available.”

We also talk about the two voices you’ll hear in your head. One voice accuses, drags you back to your past, and tells you you’re not worthy. The other voice points to the cross of Jesus, where sin is paid for and your failures no longer define you. If you’re searching for Christian encouragement, spiritual growth, and a quick reset that replaces condemnation with truth, press play and take this into your morning.

Transcript

Welcome And Daily Five-Minute Start

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Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right.

The Trap Of Feeling Unworthy

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One of the challenges that we all face is feeling unworthy for God to love us. And we get to the point sometimes, even when we've been Christians for a long time, where we wonder why God would want me. What does he see in me? He knows better than I do that I'm not perfect. He knows I have all kinds of problems and I really mess things up more often than I get them right. And using the gifts that I have, well, I try, but it seems I'm very ineffective with them. And then we start to feel so unworthy and wonder why God would even want us.

Flawed Bible Heroes God Still Used

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Well, this morning I have a list of facts about biblical characters that I want to share with you. And it's one that I shared another version of in the past, but it's important that we remember these things. Because when we start to feel unworthy before God, we need to remember all of the people that God has already used who were, quite honestly, just as bad or worse than we are. So listen carefully to this. Did you know that Moses stuttered? That David's armor didn't fit him, that John Mark deserted Paul on his missionary journey, that Timothy had ulcers, that Hosea's wife was a prostitute, that Amos' only training was in the school of fig tree pruning. Did you know that Jacob was a liar, that David had an affair, that Solomon was too rich, that Jesus was too poor, that Abraham was too old, that David was too young, that Peter was afraid of death, that Lazarus, he was dead, that John was self-righteous, that Naomi was a widow, that Paul was the persecutor of the church. Did you know that Moses was a murderer? That Jonah ran away from God's will, deliberately, purposely? Did you know that Miriam was a gossip? That both Gideon and Thomas doubted? That Jeremiah was depressed and even suicidal? That Elijah was completely burned out. He'd had enough. Do you remember that Noah got drunk? And did I mention that Moses had a very short fuse on his temper? So did Peter and so did Paul. Well, actually in the Old Testament, lots of folks did.

God Looks For Willing Hearts

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But God doesn't ask us to present to him a clean resume for him to be able to work in our lives. He only looks for people who say, I'm available, use me. And the amazing thing is that God knew every mistake that all of those Bible characters would make before they even made them. And the same with us. God knows the mistakes we're going to make tomorrow or next week or next month. God already knows that. But none of that stops him from loving us or caring about us or wanting to work in our lives. He loves us and he accepts us right as we are and simply says to us, Come on, let me work with you, let me help you.

Two Voices: Shame Versus The Cross

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We will hear two voices in our heads. One is the voice of Satan. Satan continually says to us, You're not worthy. He reminds us of our mistakes, he reminds us of our past. He'll tell you, I know what you did last week, or what you did last night, or did two years ago or ten years ago. When Satan looks back in our lives, all he sees and reminds us of are those mistakes. But when God looks back in our lives, he goes all the way back to the cross of Jesus, where all of those sins and all of those mistakes were paid for. God's not keeping track of our failures. And while there may be lots of reasons why God shouldn't work in our lives, He is God. And He has shown us grace and mercy and love. And He will use us in spite of who we are, in spite of where we've been, and in spite of what we've done, and in spite of the very fact that we are not perfect. But that's the love

Stand Up In Truth And Close

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of God for us. So don't let yourself get into that trap. I'm not worthy of God's love, and I think He's left me and abandoned me. God will never do that. That's just not true. Know that that is coming directly from the pit of hell. That's a lie to keep you from doing and being what God has for you. So everybody, get up today, throw your shoulders back, hang on to the truth of God that He loves you, He's with you, and He's working in you right now. And you will have a great day, my friends. And we will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for joining us today, and I invite you to join us every Monday to Friday right here at Starting Right with Danny Mack.