Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Stop Thinking You Are Not Good Enough Or You Can Be Good Enough




“Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you. We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. […]  As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. [..] The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.” CHAMBERS

I wonder that sometimes … why would God use me for the things that “I think” someone else could do better?  The answer is that God uses me because through me, He is glorified.  The danger in that thinking is that you could convince yourself that you have no value to God and therefore should not even try.  Answering God’s call is an act of faith.  Knowing that what He asked you to do is beyond you, but trusting that God will act on your behalf .. He will be your strength .. He will provide … at just the right time.

The other side of the coin is thinking that you don’t need God to serve Him, you can do it yourself.  It is a sinful attitude of self-sufficiency or self-righteousness.  I heard a great sermon this past weekend.  It addressed self-righteousness. The idea that we can be righteous without any help from God. Paul address the issue of the source of righteousness .. being right before God …. Two verses that come to mind are (Romans 3:10) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one”  So even though we try to be .. none of us are … and  (Romans 3:22) “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” The only way you can be right with God is through faith in Jesus Christ. But that doesn’t keep some from trying harder. ELGIN

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness.  On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand”  

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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