God Uses the Unqualified: 7 Reasons Why God Chooses the Weak
I recently met with a friend who has been telling a relative about Jesus. Her family member doesn’t know much about God and has been grappling with the message of the gospel. My friend shared how unqualified she feels to be teaching anyone about Jesus. I gently reminded her that God uses the unqualified to fulfill his purpose.
God Uses the Unqualified
It has been said that God doesn’t call the equipped; he equips the called.
Scripture reinforces this truth.
Today, we’ll explore Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church as we discuss seven reasons why God uses the unqualified and weak for his purposes.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to reaffirm your calling from God.
7 Reasons Why God Uses the Unqualified and Weak
Paul began his first letter to the Corinthians by addressing a concern among the early church. Corinth was known as a city where intellect and eloquence were valued.
Yet God chose to reveal the gospel through simple means because he wanted to end human pride and make Jesus the focal point in worship, not self-exaltation.
Here are seven specific points Paul made in this powerful chapter about why God uses the unqualified for his purposes.
1. God uses the unqualified to exalt Jesus’ work on the cross.
1 Corinthians 1:18 reads, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (ESV).
Those whose hearts are hard cannot understand what happened at the cross. They don’t understand their need for a Savior or the redemption found at the cross.
If wisdom and eloquence alone could lead people to believe in Jesus, the cross would lose its power. People would worship wisdom and eloquence rather than falling at the cross.
We need to remember that even though we now wear crosses as jewelry and on T-shirts, the cross was a grotesque tool for execution. It was the electric chair of Jesus’ day.
When we see the cross, we should remember that God demonstrated his love for us by allowing his Son to be tortured and executed in our place (Romans 5:8). We are saved through God’s power and his work on the cross.
2. God uses the unqualified to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 reads, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”
The Corinthians admired wise scribes and philosophers.
Many of these wise people considered the message of Christ foolish.
Paul wrote that God was pleased to reveal his wisdom through preaching that humbled self-declared wise people. We do not enter God’s kingdom be being eloquent or philosophical. We enter humbly, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
God uses the unqualified to humble human pride and lead us to the cross. #humility #faith Share on X3. God uses the unqualified to reveal his wisdom over man’s wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25 reads, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
The message of Jesus demonstrates the power and wisdom of God.
Again, this is hard for many to understand. But God is showing that his weakness is stronger than men’s strength.
4. God uses the unqualified so that our faith is found in his power alone.
Paul came to the Corinthians humbly, not trying to be eloquent. He wrote: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:2-5).
Our faith should not rest on human wisdom and reasoning. Rather, God wants our faith to rest on his power alone.
5. God uses the unqualified to humble human pride and make Jesus the focus.
Paul wrote, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).
Again, God chooses what is foolish in the world to shame those who think they are wise. He wants Jesus to be the focus of our worship, not our reasoning or intellect.
6. God uses the unqualified so no human can boast in himself.
The next two verses read: “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:28-29).
God chooses the lowly and humble for his purposes so that the wise cannot boast in themselves.
7. God uses the unqualified because he wants us to boast in him alone.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 reads, “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
May this be our prayer: “Lord, teach me to boast in you alone.”
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God’s ways are different than ours. Human rationale would tell that God would only use wise, eloquent people to spread the gospel. but God doesn’t work according to human expectations.
God uses the unqualified.
If you fee unqualified from serving God, you are in the perfect posture for him to work through you.
A Personal Testimony of How God Uses the Unqualified
My early twenties were tumultuous.
I was angry with God and decided to live for myself instead of living for him. After a few tough years, I realized I wasn’t cultivating the life I wanted for myself. I returned to God with a humble heart and asked him to help me put my life back together.
Slowly, God began the restorative work of healing my heart. I also began to realize that God uses broken people to fulfill his purposes.
When I first returned to the Lord, I felt disqualified from ministering to others.
I remember sharing my feelings with a mentor who looked straight into my eyes and said, “Stacey, God will use the hard parts of your story to minister to others in powerful ways.”
Decades later, I can attest that my mentor was right. God has used the most painful parts of my story to minister to young women who are facing similar situations. In fact, the hard parts of my story are the precise reason some of the women in my life have decided to trust me.
The women in my life know I’ve made mistakes. Because I’m willing to offer them glimpses into God’s healing work in my life, they offer me the gift of transparency about their lives.
I share this humbly. I share it to encourage every person who feels too broken to be used by God.
God uses broken vessels.
God uses unqualified people, and no one is too broken to be used by God.
The hard parts of my current story include career disappointments, parenting failures, fear, anxiety, and more. When I start to question God’s purpose for these troubles, I remind myself that he will use these parts of my story to encourage and comfort others as well.
Second Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God wants us to comfort others with the same comfort we first received from him.
God will use the hard parts of your story to comfort, encourage, and inspire others, too. Revelation 12:11 reminds us that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
Your story matters and God wants to use it—even the imperfect parts—to minister to others.
Weakness Is God’s Platform
A few months ago, I wrote about the morning after our first child was born. As I held my baby in the hospital room, God reminded me of nine short words: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
I knew God wasn’t asking me to equip myself for the calling of motherhood. He wasn’t calling me to perfection or self-sufficient strength; instead, he was teaching me to trust him. He reminded me that he would give me all I needed to care for our child.
That moment in the hospital took place more than twelve years ago, but I remember it often. It has become an anchor on my journey of parenthood.
Every time I start to doubt my ability to raise my children, I remind myself that my weakness is the perfect platform for God to show up in his power.
He provides all I need for every step of this journey.
God is not calling you to hold your world together either. Perhaps you feel weak and entirely insufficient in some realm of your life. You might feel like you’ve messed up too much or are too broken to minister to others.
You Have Never Fallen Too Far
If this is you, seek healing through pastoral care, counseling, and a community of loving people. Let God begin the work of healing your heart. But remember this: Your weakest areas are the precise places where God is waiting to move and make his power known.
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If this post about how God uses the unqualified blessed you, I invite you to explore our devotional books and library of free eBooks below. Be blessed as you surrender to the One who wants to use you to carry his light into the dark world.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Be Still and Trust: Download Your Free eBook Here
Do you long to find space to draw near to God while struggling to make this practice a regular part of your life? The secret is establishing a daily rhythm that makes this time habitual, a routine that becomes as natural as eating, drinking, and sleeping. Be Still and Trust offers daily devotions for those who long for rest and renewal—devotions for peace in our hurried and stress-filled lives.
These short devotions are invitations into God’s rest when facing the daily battles that tend to steal our peace. Download it for free right here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
