God Doesn’t Need Your Resume
Have you ever looked at what you have to offer and thought, I don’t have the qualifications, the experience, or the resources for this?
While reading through the book of Judges, I came across one seemingly insignificant verse that completely stopped me in my tracks.
Judges 3:31 says:
“After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
That is his entire biography.
One sentence.
Yet that single sentence carries an incredible message.
When you dig a little deeper, you discover that Shamgar doesn’t fit the profile of someone we would expect God to use. His name is not a typical Hebrew name, and the title “son of Anath” has led many scholars to suggest he may have had connections to a Canaanite or pagan background. We aren’t told that he came from a prominent tribe, a respected family, or a position of influence.
Then there was his weapon.
He didn’t carry a sword or a spear.
He carried an oxgoad, a long wooden staff used by farmers to guide stubborn cattle.
By every human standard, Shamgar had the wrong background, the wrong reputation, and the wrong tools.
Yet when the moment came, God didn’t ask for his résumé.
God simply used what was already in his hand.
With nothing more than a farmer’s tool, Shamgar defeated six hundred Philistines and became God’s instrument to save Israel.
Our world tells us we need to build a brand, polish our image, collect qualifications, and have everything perfectly in place before we can make a difference.
We often disqualify ourselves before God ever does.
We think our past is too messy.
Our platform is too small.
Our resources are too limited.
Our mistakes are too great.
But Shamgar’s story reminds us that God isn’t looking for perfect people.
He’s looking for available people.
You don’t need a flawless reputation or a massive stage for God to work through your life.
You simply need to be willing to place what is already in your hands into His.
If God could use a rough outsider armed with nothing more than an oxgoad to change the course of Israel’s history, He can certainly use you.
Stop waiting until you feel qualified.
Offer Him what you already have and trust Him with the outcome.
Because God doesn’t call people based on their résumé.
He calls them based on His purpose.
And when He calls you, He is more than able to supply everything you lack.
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
1 Corinthians 1:27
God has always operated differently from the world.
He doesn’t merely call the qualified.
He qualifies those He calls.
Your past does not limit His grace.
Your weakness does not limit His power.
Your ordinary life is not an obstacle to an extraordinary God.
The only question is this:
What’s already in your hand?
Have you ever looked at what you have to offer and thought, I don’t have the qualifications, the experience, or the resources for this?
While reading through the book of Judges, I came across one seemingly insignificant verse that completely stopped me in my tracks.
Judges 3:31 says:
“After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
That is his entire biography.
One sentence.
Yet that single sentence carries an incredible message.
When you dig a little deeper, you discover that Shamgar doesn’t fit the profile of someone we would expect God to use. His name is not a typical Hebrew name, and the title “son of Anath” has led many scholars to suggest he may have had connections to a Canaanite or pagan background. We aren’t told that he came from a prominent tribe, a respected family, or a position of influence.
Then there was his weapon.
He didn’t carry a sword or a spear.
He carried an oxgoad, a long wooden staff used by farmers to guide stubborn cattle.
By every human standard, Shamgar had the wrong background, the wrong reputation, and the wrong tools.
Yet when the moment came, God didn’t ask for his résumé.
God simply used what was already in his hand.
With nothing more than a farmer’s tool, Shamgar defeated six hundred Philistines and became God’s instrument to save Israel.
Our world tells us we need to build a brand, polish our image, collect qualifications, and have everything perfectly in place before we can make a difference.
We often disqualify ourselves before God ever does.
We think our past is too messy.
Our platform is too small.
Our resources are too limited.
Our mistakes are too great.
But Shamgar’s story reminds us that God isn’t looking for perfect people.
He’s looking for available people.
You don’t need a flawless reputation or a massive stage for God to work through your life.
You simply need to be willing to place what is already in your hands into His.
If God could use a rough outsider armed with nothing more than an oxgoad to change the course of Israel’s history, He can certainly use you.
Stop waiting until you feel qualified.
Offer Him what you already have and trust Him with the outcome.
Because God doesn’t call people based on their résumé.
He calls them based on His purpose.
And when He calls you, He is more than able to supply everything you lack.
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
1 Corinthians 1:27
God has always operated differently from the world.
He doesn’t merely call the qualified.
He qualifies those He calls.
Your past does not limit His grace.
Your weakness does not limit His power.
Your ordinary life is not an obstacle to an extraordinary God.
The only question is this:
What’s already in your hand?
God Doesn’t Need Your Resume
Have you ever looked at what you have to offer and thought, I don’t have the qualifications, the experience, or the resources for this?
While reading through the book of Judges, I came across one seemingly insignificant verse that completely stopped me in my tracks.
Judges 3:31 says:
“After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
That is his entire biography.
One sentence.
Yet that single sentence carries an incredible message.
When you dig a little deeper, you discover that Shamgar doesn’t fit the profile of someone we would expect God to use. His name is not a typical Hebrew name, and the title “son of Anath” has led many scholars to suggest he may have had connections to a Canaanite or pagan background. We aren’t told that he came from a prominent tribe, a respected family, or a position of influence.
Then there was his weapon.
He didn’t carry a sword or a spear.
He carried an oxgoad, a long wooden staff used by farmers to guide stubborn cattle.
By every human standard, Shamgar had the wrong background, the wrong reputation, and the wrong tools.
Yet when the moment came, God didn’t ask for his résumé.
God simply used what was already in his hand.
With nothing more than a farmer’s tool, Shamgar defeated six hundred Philistines and became God’s instrument to save Israel.
Our world tells us we need to build a brand, polish our image, collect qualifications, and have everything perfectly in place before we can make a difference.
We often disqualify ourselves before God ever does.
We think our past is too messy.
Our platform is too small.
Our resources are too limited.
Our mistakes are too great.
But Shamgar’s story reminds us that God isn’t looking for perfect people.
He’s looking for available people.
You don’t need a flawless reputation or a massive stage for God to work through your life.
You simply need to be willing to place what is already in your hands into His.
If God could use a rough outsider armed with nothing more than an oxgoad to change the course of Israel’s history, He can certainly use you.
Stop waiting until you feel qualified.
Offer Him what you already have and trust Him with the outcome.
Because God doesn’t call people based on their résumé.
He calls them based on His purpose.
And when He calls you, He is more than able to supply everything you lack.
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
1 Corinthians 1:27
God has always operated differently from the world.
He doesn’t merely call the qualified.
He qualifies those He calls.
Your past does not limit His grace.
Your weakness does not limit His power.
Your ordinary life is not an obstacle to an extraordinary God.
The only question is this:
What’s already in your hand?
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
हिन्दी