There are three questions that come from this change:
1) Why in the world would I call God’s people minions? (see “What’s A Minion?”)
2) Why in the world do I feel the need to motivate them? And …
3) Why did the Needtobreathe song, Difference Maker, keep coming to mind after I did?
I think it has something to do with addictions ;o).
You see, sometimes, when we sinful human creatures first become born again, or we come from a particularly powerful sermon, or we read a blog about all we CAN do FOR Christ, it’s like a drug. There were times in my own life where I called on the Lord for guidance and help, and I received it in such force it was intoxicating.
God is just that amazing.
So what does the human do when they come down from that high? They rush out and seek more of the very thing that made them drunk. But God is not a drug, and He will not heel at your beck and call.
When I first became a Christian Counselor I found it very effective to pray on my knees before every counseling session. I humbled myself before the Lord and invited Him into the session to do the work. But, just as the Israelites so often did with the things God gave them, that prayer became a tool for my counseling rather than an opportunity to honor Him. The power of it waned because I saw it as mine and not His. I was trying to be A difference maker rather than allowing myself to be His empty vessel.
I so often hear young people or new Christians say “I want to make a difference,” as they ride the zeal of their burgeoning faith. I’ve also seen many become burned out as their “big” plans to save the lost meet with great disappointment. They ask, “Why wasn’t God faithful to me when I was faithful to Him?” The question I have is, “Were your big plans God’s or yours?”
I hear others talk about how they believe God is calling them to do something great like so-and-so did. But if they looked at so-and-so, they might notice he or she did not set out to do something great, only something for the Lord.
That’s what I am hoping for you, my reader.
How does one truly become an empty vessel of the Lord? Or, as I now like to call it “a minion for the mighty?”
Hmmm, for me it’s really not about being one, but about noticing when I drift into my own self-importance and then turning the rudder so I can right my course. I’m sorry to say, my self always gets in the way.
How do I move the rudder back? By keeping my eye on who “I Am” is. For me, that comes with Bible study and prayer. Not a study that memorizes empty facts, but coming to know The Story of the One who loves me deeply and I want to love back. Not a prayer that asks, “God, can you do this for me,” but time spent in the presence of my Father, telling Him about my day, asking if He has any thoughts on it, and maybe even praising Him a little.
Stuff like that.
My final thought is to suggest you put away the idea that you must do something big. Remember, the bigness doesn’t come from what you’ve done, but from what HE makes of what you’ve done. In fact, I sometimes think our goal of bigness stalls us from getting started in the first place. Think of the boy with the loaves of bread and two fish. He didn’t bring them to feed thousands, but when given to Jesus, they did.
You can be that boy.
You can be a minion.
This is the place where I often list other posts from this blog that you might like. Today, I would love for you to read another story from another site, about a real Minion for the Mighty and know your empty vessel can be used for great things and you might not even know it’s happening. Take a look! You won’t be sorry. Worldwide Impact of a Humble Street Preacher Lives on Today
No comments:
Post a Comment