Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
A visiting minister had just preached a dynamic message on being totally committed to God and empty of self. Following the message, as people came by to speak with him, a woman approached and requested that he pray for her to become nothing. Being a courageous and faithful servant, the minister looked the woman straight in the eye and told her to take by faith the fact that she was nothing!
He gave her that answer, not to put her down, but rather to show that without Christ we are indeed nothing. When we get our pride and self-sufficiency out of the way, Christ is able to do His work in and through us.
I once heard Major Ian Thomas relate his own experience in this area. As a young man who had received Jesus as his personal Savior, he wanted to please the Lord . . . so he worked and worked, doing everything he could for the Lord. One Sunday evening, after finishing assisting in a week-long series of meetings, he had worked late into the night packing up books, Bibles, and other materials.
Finally returning to his hotel room, Thomas was exhausted and ready to abandon his calling to preach the Word of God. He expected the Lord to be disappointed in him for quitting, but just the opposite happened. It was as though the Lord told Thomas that he needed to get his ambition out of the way so He (God) could work through him.
Major Thomas went on to be a worthy servant of the Lord Jesus Christ around the world. Are you wearing yourself out trying to please the Lord? I implore you to give up trying to earn your salvation. Listen to Him, then do what He asks you to do.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil