By Grant Phillips
Do you, as a
Christian, feel you
have nothing to
offer for the Lord’s
service? Perhaps
you’re feeling
somewhat worthless.
You look around at
others and say,
“Wow, why can’t I be
a successful
Christian like
them?” Or maybe
you’re thinking,
“They have so many
talents. I can’t do
anything.”
We see others with
ministries on
television, great
websites glorifying
God, authors of
books, great musical
talents, artistic
gifts, great
speaking abilities,
and on we go. Well,
allow me to give you
the conclusion of
this article now,
instead of at the
end. Did you ever
stop to think that
it isn’t what you
do? It’s what Christ
does through you.
Now sit back for a
minute and think
about that ……. When
we understand that,
we realize that what
we actually should
do for Christ is to
simply be faithful
to Him and allow Him
to do His work in
and through our
lives. At that
point, we get our
eyes off other
people, and
especially off
ourselves, and on
Jesus Christ, where
they should be.
Don’t feel like the
Lone Ranger about
this insecurity
issue. We have all
been guilty at one
time or another of
getting this whole
thing backwards.
Listen, there is no
power in you and me.
All the power rests
in God. Jesus said,
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me
you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5 NASB)
Let me offer some
advice. It has
helped me. Maybe it
will help you too.
Quit looking at what
others do, and live
your
own life. In the
Gospel of John we
read where Peter
wanted to know what
Jesus was going to
do in John’s life.
Here is what Jesus
said to him, “…If
I want him to remain
until I come, what
is that to
you? You follow Me!"
(John 21:22 NASB)
That’s it in a
nutshell! “You follow Me!”
Some of these people
you see who you
think are successful
are piling up stacks
of wood, hay and
stubble, because
they are not
following Christ.
They are “doing
they’re own thing”.
Others you see who
are gathering gold,
silver and precious
stones are
successful for one
reason. Instead of
occupying themselves
by trying to be like
someone else, they
are following
Christ. They are
being obedient to
His will.
I’ll break it down
even more. If God
has called you to
rake up the autumn
leaves from the
church yard, then do
the best you can to
please Christ. You
are successful. If
you love children
and are great in the
nursery at church,
then do your best to
tend to those
children for the
Lord. You are
successful. If you
are outgoing and
love to speak to
people, then make
everyone you come in
contact with, enjoy
being in your
presence. You’re
representing Christ.
You are successful.
Raise up your
children as unto the
Lord. You are
successful. Love
your spouse greater
than yourself. You
are successful. Be
the most diligent
employee your
employer has. You
are successful. Has
it registered yet?
Live
your life as unto the Lord, and you will be no less successful than
those who author
books, stand behind
the pulpit, have a
beautiful voice,
etc. It isn’t
what you do. The
key is what you are
doing is your best
for Jesus Christ.
That is success.
There are no
important people and
not so important
people among God’s
children. We are all
equal. We are all
important in His
eyes. We can all
serve, because the
power rests in God,
not us.
In Judges chapter
seven, we read the
account of God using
Gideon to go up
against the
Midianites,
Amalekites and sons
of the east . Gideon
started out with
32,000 warriors, but
that was too many
for this reason, “The
LORD said to Gideon,
"The people who are
with you are too
many for Me to give
Midian into their
hands, for Israel
would become
boastful, saying,
'My own power has
delivered me.”
(Judges 7:2 NASB) So
God reduced the
military force down
to 300. Even though
the enemy was as
numerous as locusts,
the 300 man army of
Gideon soundly
defeated them. And
as God said, there
was no way Israel could
take the bragging
rights. Only God
could pull it off,
and did He ever!
The same is true
with you and me. Our
strength comes from
God. “The
Sovereign LORD is my
strength; he makes
my feet like the
feet of a deer, he
enables me to go on
the heights…”
(Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)
We can do nothing in
our own power, but
in Christ we will
produce fruit for
Him, as the branch
produces from the
vine. “Yes,
I am the vine; you
are the branches.
Those who remain in
me, and I in them,
will produce much
fruit. For apart
from me you can do
nothing.” (John
15:5 NLT)
Our success, if you
want to call it that
by the way, comes by
and through Jesus
Christ. “He
gives power to the
weak and strength to
the powerless.”
(Isaiah 40:29 (NLT))
When we focus our
life on His will, He
will lift us up. “Humble
yourselves before
the Lord, and he
will lift you up.”
(James 4:10 NIV)
Notice in the
following verses
that God loves to
take a “nobody” and
do great things
through them, simply
because there is no
glory but that which
is in God. “But
God chose the
foolish things of
the world to shame
the wise; God chose
the weak things of
the world to shame
the strong. He chose
the lowly things of
this world and the
despised things--and
the things that are
not--to nullify the
things that are, so
that no one may
boast before him. It
is because of him
that you are in
Christ Jesus, who
has become for us
wisdom from
God--that is, our
righteousness,
holiness and
redemption.
Therefore, as it is
written: "Let him
who boasts boast in
the Lord." (1
Corinthians 1:27-31
NIV)
Do any of the
following give us an
edge in doing great
things for Christ?
·
Our background
·
Our circumstances
·
Our education
·
Our environment
·
Our country
·
Our family
·
Our looks
·
Our personality
·
Our talents
·
Our “other”
The answer is
absolutely, without
question, “NO”.
None of these
things, or anything
else we would care
to add, gives us a
“leg up” with God. I
cannot say enough,
that our “success”
in serving Christ is
not about us, except
for one, and only
one issue;
obedience. Follow
Him.
There is no doubt in
my mind that when we
all convene before
the Bema seat of
Jesus Christ,
millions of
Christians who were
known by practically
no one in this life,
will be richly
rewarded by our Lord
for their obedience
to Him with gold,
silver and precious
stones. Just as
many, who perhaps
were known by
thousands or
millions while on
this earth, will be
shamed for their
stack of wood, hay
and stubble.
You and I say;
“I can’t do this”.
God can.
“But I just don’t
have the means to
get this done.” God
does.
“But you just don’t
understand, I don’t
even know where to
start.” God does.
“But I’ve messed up
my life so badly no
one could put the
pieces back
together.” God can.
So many of us
Christians want God
in our lives, but we
want to do the
driving. Sorry, it
doesn’t work that
way. Once we
Christians realize
that we don’t have
to “carry the load,”
which we can’t lift
anyway, a whole new
world of freedom and
opportunity opens
up.
One final thought,
in
everything we
do, let us do it in
obedience and
thankfulness to the
Lord Jesus Christ, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory
of God.” (1
Corinthians 10:31
NIV) May we stop
trying to “keep up
with the Joneses,”
so to speak, and
just live our
own life as unto
the Lord. Peter
needed to stop
concerning himself
about what Jesus was
going to do through
John, and take care
of Peter. He needed
to live his
own life as unto
the Lord. That is
the same message to
you and me.
I don’t think Jesus
will ask us how much
or what we have done
for Him, but He will
ask us, if we have
been faithful with
what He has given
us.
Grant Phillips
grantphillips@windstream.net
My articles are
posted at
“Pre-Rapture
Commentary”
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
and many are also
posted at “Rapture
Ready”
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html.
