Feeling inadequate?

Representing Christ is a high calling for which I often feel only marginally qualified, if at all! Paul’s words, “who is equal to such a task?” (2 Cor. 2:16) are words with which I can easily identify. A Believer is called to live a life of love, but selfishness comes so naturally. We are taught to serve, but we find ourselves wanting to be served. My best efforts are so quickly tainted with expressions of ego. My highest intentions to do good are often sabotaged by sin that works against my aims. Paul laments this writing, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18, NIV)

Let me illustrate the sneaky way that sin creeps into my life. Last week a woman counseled with me telling of her husband’s cruelty to her for years, of the mean mind-games he plays, of the ways he finds to demean her day in and day out. Her anguish went deep and her dilemma – ‘do I stay in this marriage or do I call it quits after all this time?’ – was real and urgent. We prayed together that she would be led by the Spirit and guided by the Word. Good was accomplished, yet even in that situation, the sinful nature in me found an opportunity. After she left my office, pride expressed itself and I found myself congratulating myself on being such a good husband to my wife! “I am so glad I’m not like him,” I thought proudly. I repented for even making the comparison when the Spirit convicted me. No, it’s not a dramatic sin, but it is that kind of persistent ‘humanness’ that makes me long for the day when I am finally perfected in the Presence of God.

Keep reading, for there is hope! When we come to the end of ourselves and acknowledge the persistent power of sin at work in us, we are in the place where God can use us. Yes, ‘when we are weak, He is strong!’ John Ortberg, in his book, God Is Closer Than You Think, recounts a funny, simple little illustration. To make a point about being empowered by God, he brought an electrical engineer to church to conduct an experiment. Let me quote him. “We turned off all the lights, hooked up an ordinary pickle to some wires, and then passed an electrical current through it. The pickle glowed! It gave light to a room… Many people believe that the flow of the Holy Spirit is reserved for spiritual giants… but, throughout history God has caused His power to flow through the most unlikely people; a prostitute named Rahab, a con man named Jacob, and a cheat named Zacchaeus. … so the next time you’re feeling inadequate, remember that even a pickle can glow if it stays plugged in to the flow.”

Just before He ascended to Heaven, leaving a little group of all too ordinary people to carry on the work of declaring the coming of God’s Kingdom, Jesus told them; "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49, NIV) Luke continues the story in the book of Acts where he tells that a few days later, the Holy Spirit flowed into that Upper Room and rested on those ordinary men and women in a life-transforming way. Were they made perfect in that instant? Hardly. As we read Acts we see them squabble, work through misunderstandings, and deal with sin. And, we see them filled with God’s power, again and again, taking the Good News of God’s love to their world. Because of the Spirit’s power, they turned the world upside down in a generation!

Christianity has not survived for 2000 years because of the greatness of Believers, but because of the faithfulness of God. Are you feeling inadequate for the calling of God in your life today? Have you failed Him in some way? Are you discouraged? Remember, even a pickle glows when it’s plugged into a current. Tell the Lord that you’re desperate for Him, that you are totally dependent on His power and see what He will do with you.

Here’s a word from the Word to keep in your mind today:
"Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!
He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! " (Ephesians 3:19-21, The Message)