Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries. Alongside his father, Joel has actively participated for many years in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.
Who Is Your Favorite Person in the Bible?
Oftentimes people will ask someone they admire, “Who is your favorite person in the Bible?” This is a fun conversation, and I’ve been a part of many of these. I’ve heard answers like, “My favorite person in the Bible is Abraham because he is the father of our faith,” or, “Noah, because he built the ark and followed God,” or, “Paul, because he wrote most of the New Testament.” There are so many remarkable people in the Bible. We even see a whole list of righteous people in Hebrews 11, kind of like a biblical “hall of fame” — and the list is quite amazing!
There probably isn’t a wrong answer to this fun question, but no matter who you choose as your favorite person in the Bible, each one was flawed. Every one of them, except for Jesus, made mistakes, and I think this should give us great encouragement because it tells us we don’t have to be perfect to be used by God.
The main thing we must do in order to be used by God is obey. We need to obey what the Bible says and what the Lord asks us to do. And that’s exactly what the righteous people named in Hebrews 11 did. They obeyed the voice of the Lord, and so can you and I! We can’t obey without the help of the Holy Spirit because the Lord will always ask us to do more than we are capable of doing without Him. So remember to always give Him the glory!
We know from reading the Bible that we don’t have to be perfect to be used by God, but we don’t even need to rely on our own strength! One scripture I have enjoyed reading when I feel weak is Second Corinthians 12:9, which says:
…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness….
Praise God that the Lord is strong in our weakness! We need the strength of the Lord when we are weak. I encourage you to have faith, stick to the Bible, and obey what you feel led to do as He guides your steps. God will do the rest because He is strong in our weakness!
God bless,
Joel Renner