Ezekiel 44:15
But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:
God addressed the priests about their compromise when Israel went astray. The priests of the tribes of Levi worshipped the same idols that Israel worshipped when they went astray. God then turned to the sons of Zadok who did not go astray when their brethren went astray. He said that because these sons of Zadok did not go astray that they would stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, and shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.
Now both of these groups could be used by God, but one was able to be used in a greater way. The first group of people who went astray, God was willing to forgive and use them when they came back, even though their sin caused them to forfeit some rights. However, the second group that did not go astray was used in a greater way because they never went the way of sin.
Growing up as a young man, I heard men who traveled the country as evangelists who lived wicked lives before they got saved or even after they got saved. These men were often the most coveted after evangelists because of their testimony of God’s grace to use them despite their sin. I can remember as a boy wondering if God could use me because I didn't have a story like that to tell. My story was that I grew up in a preacher’s home, was saved at a young age, never had a drop of alcohol touch my lips, never been to a dance floor or movie house, and lived my life serving the LORD.
One day when I was a young evangelist, a pastor asked me to preach my testimony. I remember telling him that I didn't have a testimony. He stopped me and said to me that I had a great testimony, and he wanted his young people to hear it. He said to me that he wanted his young people to realize that God can use you in a greater way if you don't live a life of sin. He said that his young people had heard too many glamorous stories about sin and people coming back to God, and that he wanted them to hear the most glamorous story of God using men in a greater way because they did not live a life of sin.
God most certainly can use the individual who let sin ruin their lives, but He can use the life untainted by sin in a greater way. The greatest testimony is not that God is using the recovered life scarred by sin, but that God is using the life that never chose the life of sin in a greater way. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in restoration, but I also believe God would much rather use the life that is not scarred by sin, and He will use them in a greater way.
Sin always has consequences that cannot be reversed. Just because God restores people does not mean they can do anything in the ministry. However, a life not scarred by sin leaves the whole playbook open for God to use. The person who has tried to live right can be used in a greater way because there is nothing they have forfeited because of sin. To the person who has not gone the way of the prodigal to live a life of sin, you have greater potential if you keep your life clean. God reserves His greatest blessings for those who choose not to live a life of sin.
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