Question 1

What does it mean to be available to God?

Accepted Answer

Mark 8:34-35“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”Luke 5:11As soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.John 10:27“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”To be available to God means more than just acknowledging his existence. It means reorienting our lives so that no matter what we do, we do it as service to him. Availability means that we are eager to go where God calls us and serve where he directs us. It is simply a matter of being open to God’s leading and being willing to go wherever he leads. He will bless us, not because of our ability but because of our availability.

Question 2

How does God make himself available to us?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 46:1God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.Psalm 139:8-10If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.Isaiah 41:10“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”Isaiah 41:13“For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’”Isaiah 43:2“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”Matthew 28:20“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”God’s presence and help are available to us every moment and everywhere. He is always with us, always listens to us, and always pursues us with his love.Psalm 86:5O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.2 Thessalonians 3:16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.2 John 1:3Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.God’s character is available to us. He extends his love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and peace to us. His character will mold our character as we submit to him.Romans 10:8In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach.Ephesians 3:8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.Colossians 1:27God wanted them [the Jewish believers] to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.Colossians 3:11In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.God is available to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. When we become God’s children, Christ actually lives in us through the Holy Spirit!

Question 3

To whom should we make ourselves available?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 23:5“If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.”Ruth 1:16Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”Proverbs 17:17A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.Matthew 25:45“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”John 5:7“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”Acts 15:35Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord there.Romans 12:13When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.Galatians 2:10Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.We should be available to anyone in need—family, fellow Christians, friends, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. Available hands reflect an available heart.

Question 4

To whom or what should we not be available?

Accepted Answer

John 10:29“For my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”Romans 6:1-2Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?Romans 6:6-7We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.Romans 6:11-12So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.Romans 6:14Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.Romans 14:8If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.1 John 3:9Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.1 John 5:18We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.When Christ lives within us, we are no longer available to Satan and his sinful ways of living.

Question 5

How do we let God know that we are available for his use?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 22:1Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”Exodus 3:4When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied.1 Samuel 3:10The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”Isaiah 6:8Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”Our obedient response to God’s Word shows that we are available to him. We should be eager to obey whatever God tells us to do. We should be eager to follow him whenever he calls and leads.1 Kings 8:23He [Solomon] prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.”Psalm 40:8I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.Mark 14:36“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”Our desire for God’s will to be done shows our availability to him. It demonstrates that we believe his way is more important than ours.2 Timothy 2:21If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.The way we live shows our readiness to be used by him.James 1:2-4Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.Our desire to grow in spiritual maturity shows our availability to become more and more like Jesus.Luke 19:17, 26“‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ . . . ‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.’”Serving God faithfully and responsibly enables us to be used by him more and more.