“I just want God to use me for great things!”
“Friend, let me ask you, do you enter into any other relationship, just hoping the other party will use you?”
“No, when you put it that way, it sounds a bit odd.”
“Then, why do you want God to use you?”
“I’ve given him my life and just want to see his kingdom grow, I want to do great things for God.”
“Sounds a little selfish doesn’t it? What if he asked you to do ignoble things for him? What if he asked you to live in filth amongst the homeless for him?”
“Well I … if thats what he wanted I’d do it.”
“Really? You sure ‘bout that? What if there was no light at the end of the tunnel?”
“What do you mean?”
“No high profile ministry as a reward for your years of service? What if no one ever knew you’re name, and most rejected your message, and you died on a stinking pile of garbage forgotten by the world and the church? Would that be okay for God to use you that way?”
“Whatever he wants, I would do it.”
“I love zealous naivety, but I love wise zeal all the more. My friend you don’t get it, you’re missing the whole point. God doesn’t want to use you. He’ll invite you to join him in his work, but he loves you and desires you to know him and love him too. Your desire to do great things has very little to do with God and his kingdom, and a great deal to do with your own ego.”
“But a prophet came to our church and prophesied over me, that I would do great things for God.”
“Yes, I once got those kinds of words to—in fact I’m not sure anyone at our meetings got any other kind of word than that. We were all going to do great things. But I wonder if you think God measures greatness the same way you do? I even wonder if God spends much time measuring at all—unlike us who are consumed by it.”
“Doesn’t He? He must...”
“Do you really think the kingdom is a big totem pole? The greater men of faith higher on it, and the lesser lower?”
“Well, I dunno.”
“Seems to me, Jesus flipped that kind of thinking on it’s ear. First last, and last first. But you just make it into another totem pole. You now measure who has sacrificed more, who is more humble. It all misses the point.”
“How else could it be?”
“Relational. Loving.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will in time. Just know that when we see the Father as using us, we ultimately repay the favor, and begin to use Him for our benefit. Stop worrying about being great for God. Just know him and be, and walk with him each day as best you can. Let his love sculpt your thoughts, decisions and actions more each day. That’s it.”
Image Credit: Alley of Justice by Randy McRoberts || Creative Commons Attribution