“Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.”

Fact: God could have named the animals He had made, and then said to Adam, “That’s a jackrabbit, and that one over there is a giraffe, and that one is a…” But He didn’t. He included Adam in the work of creation by having him name the animals. This is the first time, but not the last by any means, that God partners with us in the work of His Kingdom. We’ll see it all the way through the bible, including here:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20

But it goes beyond sharing the gospel. Partnering with the Holy Spirit in us, we move mountains, heal the sick, speak truth, care for the broken, and we witness and participate in the healing and restoration of our own lives. God could easily do all of it without us, but He doesn’t. He includes us, and whenever we choose to say “yes” to God, we are choosing to join Him in His work on the earth.

Just as in calling for light and telling oceans where to stop, there are some things in which God chooses to go solo. He invites us to rest, to wait, to be still and to know that He is God. But then He also invites to go, to speak, to pray, to believe, to touch. To be included. To be with Him in the work.

I like questions. They tend to clear my field of vision. So here are the questions that I ask so that I can see how and when God wants to include me.

• Is there someone around me who needs to hear the gospel through my story?
• Is there someone I need to forgive?
• Do I need to repent of something?
• Has He put me in front of a person or a situation that needs my money, my time, or any other resource that I have?
• Has He put an unlovable person in my life for me to love with the love of Christ?
• Do I sense the urgency to pray for someone or a situation?
• Is He sending me to another nation, or to a neighbor?

We have to resist the urge to believe that because we aren’t Billy Graham that God can’t use us. First of all, I don’t like the word “used”. God doesn’t need tools, He chooses to include and entrust people.

There is work to do, a Kingdom to advance. There are hearts to rescue, and healing to be done. There are souls to save, and lives to change and hard people to love and forgive.

We are not left out. He has included us in all of it.