Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been
unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no
value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you
are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of
your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of
your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to
Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will
make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter
of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into
us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of
knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern.
The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of
God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).
God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can
accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God.
As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here
for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know
what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain
our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our
relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the
time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity
is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the
surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That
is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing
that is continually under attack.
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