Throughout scripture, we see unexpected heroes like Jonah — characters who are outsiders, failures, or people without pedigree or prestige — who God works through to ultimately play essential roles in his plan of redemption.  Let’s ponder these examples:

Jonah: God used Jonah, who was at first reluctant to obey God, to show God’s power and mercy to the people of Nineveh.

Ruth: A Moabite woman who, despite her foreign background, showed remarkable loyalty and faithfulness to her mother-in-law Naomi and became an ancestor of King David and Jesus.

Joseph: Sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph rises to prominence in Egypt and plays a crucial role in God’s plan to save his family and the nation of Israel from famine.

David: Despite his flaws and failures, David is described as a man after God’s own heart and becomes one of Israel’s greatest kings.

Mary: A young, humble girl from Nazareth chosen by God to bear the Messiah.

We can be encouraged by the fact that God works through ordinary people throughout history to point to the “true and better” Savior — Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all the promises of God.

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 1Corinthians 1:27

Inspired by these “ordinary people” – Pastor Larry