I appreciate the sentiment here, although I think the phrasing "use me" might be better translated as "work through me." As in, "God, please work through me to make the world a better place." That is a prayer I have sometimes uttered quickly or under my breath during particularly frustrating professional/civic moments where I feel like giving up or something.
Excellent thoughts, Ben! I totally love the way you think of it. I certainly didn't mean to question that type of thinking. I'm mostly just processing the way I've thought of the idea of God "using" me and wanting to distance myself from it (without wishing to imply that other people have thought of it in the same way).
I too have become very uneasy about the idea of God "using" us in recent years.
There seems to be a progression from God being a "master" to God being a "partner" in the Bible. A specific example is in Hosea where the comment is made "you will no longer call me ba'aliy [my master] but iyshiy [my man / husband]". Interestingly "ba'al" is sometimes translated as "husband" but is probably better understood to mean "master / lord", whereas "iysh" seems to mean "man / husband" (more as a partner / counterpart, maybe?).
If God does appear to treat people as servants in the Bible (and there does appear to be some examples of this), it seems that is only because they are not ready to be partners so He is meeting them where they are on their journey to partnership. Maybe that's what is being indicated in John 15:15?
Rather than God "using" us, maybe the idea of God "sending" us is more biblical. After all, God "sent" His only Son, who is His equal (John 3:16). The Apostles are "those that are sent", after Jesus had already called them His friends / partners.
The potency of this testimony resounds, even as I, a 57-year-old, continue to believe God desires to "use" us. Yet, you illuminated the significance of the word "use," and the truth that none wish to be utilized. Your tender recollection of gazing upon your slumbering child from a distance, awash with adoration, painted a vivid image that contrasts starkly with the concept of use. Such love is the antithesis of love.
Indeed, you are right; it is in this manner that God gazes upon us, with love untainted by self-interest. My gratitude for sharing this profound insight swells within me.
I appreciate the sentiment here, although I think the phrasing "use me" might be better translated as "work through me." As in, "God, please work through me to make the world a better place." That is a prayer I have sometimes uttered quickly or under my breath during particularly frustrating professional/civic moments where I feel like giving up or something.
Excellent thoughts, Ben! I totally love the way you think of it. I certainly didn't mean to question that type of thinking. I'm mostly just processing the way I've thought of the idea of God "using" me and wanting to distance myself from it (without wishing to imply that other people have thought of it in the same way).
I too have become very uneasy about the idea of God "using" us in recent years.
There seems to be a progression from God being a "master" to God being a "partner" in the Bible. A specific example is in Hosea where the comment is made "you will no longer call me ba'aliy [my master] but iyshiy [my man / husband]". Interestingly "ba'al" is sometimes translated as "husband" but is probably better understood to mean "master / lord", whereas "iysh" seems to mean "man / husband" (more as a partner / counterpart, maybe?).
If God does appear to treat people as servants in the Bible (and there does appear to be some examples of this), it seems that is only because they are not ready to be partners so He is meeting them where they are on their journey to partnership. Maybe that's what is being indicated in John 15:15?
Rather than God "using" us, maybe the idea of God "sending" us is more biblical. After all, God "sent" His only Son, who is His equal (John 3:16). The Apostles are "those that are sent", after Jesus had already called them His friends / partners.
Divine Love versus Selflessness.
The potency of this testimony resounds, even as I, a 57-year-old, continue to believe God desires to "use" us. Yet, you illuminated the significance of the word "use," and the truth that none wish to be utilized. Your tender recollection of gazing upon your slumbering child from a distance, awash with adoration, painted a vivid image that contrasts starkly with the concept of use. Such love is the antithesis of love.
Indeed, you are right; it is in this manner that God gazes upon us, with love untainted by self-interest. My gratitude for sharing this profound insight swells within me.