Ordinary Heroes

I think we have lost the meaning of the word “hero” today. We throw it around so casually. Everyone is called a hero, from athletes to singers to actors. But a hero is really someone who does something sacrificial or courageous.

Acts 6 tells the story of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church, a true hero of the Christian faith. As we look at Stephen’s life, we don’t see a life wasted. We see a life well-invested. We also learn some important principles about the kind of person God uses today.

As God looks for a man or a woman to put His hand on, what qualities does He look for? What kind of person does He select? In Scripture and in contemporary history, one thing certainly stands out. It seems that God has always gone out of His way to use people who had no apparent potential.

The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). It doesn’t say God is looking for a strong man or a strong woman, but a loyal one. When God put His hand on me, I didn’t seem like a person with great potential. But God uses ordinary people so that He might get the glory, so that no one can boast in His presence (see 1 Corinthians 1:26–29).

So if you feel that you are an ordinary person, if you feel that you don’t have any great abilities or skills and wonder whether could God ever use you, the answer is yes. Just watch what the Lord will do when you dedicate yourself to Him.