Extraordinary Lives

This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. (Daniel 5:12 in the New American Standard Bible)

This is the description that the Queen of Babylon gave to the King on the night he saw the writing on the wall.  Daniel had long fallen into obscurity in the Babylonian kingdom.  He was out of the limelight and way advanced in years.  His reputation, however, was still intact, and alive in the minds of those who’ve paid attention. 

In reading this impressive list of Daniel’s qualifications, the specific one that sticks out to me personally is the fact that the Queen recognized that Daniel was a man with an “extraordinary spirit.”  He was indeed a holy vessel.  The Lord had consecrated Daniel for His purposes.  He made Daniel holy, set apart, to be His valuable tool for His kingdom, reserved to do works of eternal value.  He gave Daniel His Spirit and it showed.  Even pagans could recognize the Divine in Daniel.  He was a temple where the Spirit of the Most High God dwelled, and it was evident even to the eyes of the depraved queen of the most corrupt empire of its time.  Indeed, Daniel did not “hide his light under the bushel.”  

Today, those who have declared Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are people found to have an extraordinary spirit in them too.  It doesn’t matter if we don’t feel particularly extraordinary.  I’m sure neither did Mary, the mother of Christ.  It doesn’t matter if we have used our vessels to contain less than holy causes.  King David was not an example of consistent good behavior either.  It doesn't matter if we think we are too old.  Abraham, Sarah, and Moses were no spring chickens, and look at what God did through them.  It doesn’t matter if we think we are too insignificant.  Chances are fishermen like Peter, John, James and Andrew didn’t think they were all that either.  It doesn’t matter if we are among the fatherless of this world.  So was Queen Esther.  It doesn’t matter if we feel unworthy.  So did Paul and pretty much all the men and women in the Bible which God used to accomplish His holy plan.  

The Maker of the heavens and the earth can use each and every one of us for His cause.  No matter how lowly we consider ourselves, the blood of Christ cleanses us and prepares us to be used by Him for His eternal purposes.  We too are holy vessels.  Those who have received Christ in their hearts as Lord and Savior become temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)  We too become tools in the hands of the Master, vessels that God uses to pour out His blessings to others, holy, set apart, consecrated for His purpose and for His use. (2 Cor. 1:21-22)  We too have in us The Extraordinary Spirit, destined for special purposes, “made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (2 Tim. 2:20-21)   

The question that remains is, don’t we want to act as if we were indeed extraordinary, uncommon, holy?  Don’t we want to allow the Extraordinary Spirit that dwells inside of us work and produce His fruit in us and be recognized as children of the Most High God?  Don’t we want to do something extraordinary for Him who has set us apart?  I never thought about asking God to allow me to do something extraordinary for Him and for His Kingdom; but now I’m thinking, why not?  All He requires is willingness of heart, and He’ll do the rest.  All we need is to be willing to be used by Him, as His holy instruments, and He’ll find a way to use us.  It is scary because once we are willing, He will use us; and the extraordinary might be too intimidating for us.  Living extraordinary lives for Christ exposes us to the world and makes us vulnerable.  We would no longer be able to hide our light.  We would no longer be able to compartmentalize our Christianity, or leave it behind at church or at home, once we go out the door.  Living extraordinary lives for God means that we wear our Christianity wherever we go, become comfortable in it and let it become our identity until everyone around us notices that there is something different about us. 

It is scary indeed, but it is also possible.  It is possible with surrender and trust.  Surrender to His will by obeying His calling.  Trust that He will be with us along the way.  It is His plan.  We are just mere instruments.  We are not the designers.  He has come up with the plan since before we were woven together in our mothers’ womb.  His eyes saw our unformed bodies; [and] all the days ordained for us were written in His book, before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139) So was His plan for us!  He is our portion and He will provide everything we need for our journey into extraordinary lives.  He will prepare us and give us the experiences we need as the plan unfolds.  It is all part of it, our fears, our anxiety our doubt, our troubles, our trials, our tears, our laughter, our grief and our joy.  He uses every bit of it all.  They all play a part in the developing of our life-long plan to live our lives for Him guided by His Extraordinary Holy Spirit.

I am comforted by the knowledge that He has it all figured out.  All I have to do is say yes, dive in and let Him be God in my life.  When you think about it, it is extraordinarily simple!