The Good In The Bad

Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:4)
 
Based upon what we know about ourselves and what we know we’ve done, many of us wouldn’t choose ourselves for the position of representing Christ. Think about some of the stuff you’ve done, the mistakes you’ve made. You wouldn’t choose yourself for the job, would you? Probably not. But the good news is that even though God knows all about our mistakes, the things we’ve done, the places we’ve been, and the thoughts we’ve had, He still chooses us nonetheless. That’s how good God is.
 
If you think about it, God has always used people with a stained record. Moses was a murderer, but God used him to be a liberator. David was an adulterer, and God used him to be king over His people. Rahab was a prostitute, and God used her to free her people. Paul was a persecutor, and God used him to preach the gospel to the gentiles.  
 
The idea that our mistakes make God want to be through with us is just wrong. Think about all of the good things that have come from mistakes. Post-it notes were invented by mistake. Teflon was a mistake. The discovery of America was a mistake. The list goes on and on.  
 
God has brought from good out of the bad all throughout the history of humanity, and He’s not going to stop now. If God can use each of those mistake-making people from the Bible to accomplish His will, then He can use you too, no matter the mistake.  
 
If you got arrested, lied on an application, mistreated someone, made the wrong decision, messed up at work, chose the wrong major, it doesn’t make a difference. God can still use you, and He still wants to use you, because He is in the business of redemption.