God is not looking for the proud and the strong but the foolish and the weak. He is not looking at how independent you are, but in how much you know you need Him. He is not looking for the self-made person but the person willing to be made new by Him.
God’s purposes for you do not depend on your abilities. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV).
Your stature in heaven is not measured by all the Scripture you might know, but by the Scripture you are willing to live by. The giants in the kingdom are not the ones who know the most but who live the most in the way that Christ has taught them.
God is more interested that you live a doctrine than you are able to argue it. “Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments. You know that these arguments grow into bigger arguments. As a servant of the Lord, you must not argue. You must be kind to everyone. You must be a good teacher, and you must be patient.” (2 Timothy 2:23-24 ERV).
Your position in the kingdom is not attained by the number of committees at your church you may belong to. Your kingdom role is not defined by the approval of man but by the assignment of God. Jesus isn’t looking at how high your title is but how low you are willing to bow beneath Him.
Being Christian is not a title you wear but a new life you’re supposed to walk in. “Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did” (1 John 2:6 TLB).
God doesn’t need your wisdom to make you wise, nor does He need your strength to make you strong. We must realize that to be effective for the kingdom, we do not need the attributes lifted up by the world. God uses the least the most because they rely on Him for everything.
Pray for the strength to be weak before God. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).
If you want to go higher in the kingdom, you must go lower in the world. We sometimes think that it is the most famous believers that accomplish the most, but even in that, we are measuring by the scales of our world. Just do what He calls you to do, and you will be a blessing to the kingdom.
If you want a higher faith, you must have a lower opinion of yourself. Jesus taught, “Remember this: everyone with a lofty opinion of who he is and who seeks to raise himself up will be humbled before all. And everyone with a modest opinion of who he is and chooses to humble himself will be raised up before all.” (Luke 14:11 TPT).
So often, Christians look down on one another. They think of themselves higher when there are more that they can look down to. But it will be to their shame on that day when Christ reveals to them their hearts. The more you look down at others, the further from Christ you must be.
You may look knocked down to men, yet be exactly where God can use you. “We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out” (2 Corinthians 4:9 TPT).
Often we think ourselves useless to God because we know all too well our limitations. This is a great error born in our pride, thinking He needs our help more than we need His. It is not enough to think of ourselves lower; we must then reach out and trust that He will help us.
Whenever we’re not strong in a spiritual gift, it’s because we’re not weak before God. “As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life” (Galatians 5:16 TPT).
Too many times we miss all that He would do through us because our eyes are fixed on what is happening to us. In whatever situation you are in, trust that God can use you. Ask Him to show you with greater clarity what that person in front of you needs for God to do through you.
Sometimes God puts us in a circumstance so that we can minister to other people who are there too. “And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison… But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:23,25 NKJV).
When once you realize God can work through your foolishness and deep in your weakness, you will stop trying to pretend you are something greater. It will be here in your humble perspective of yourself that God will start to use you. And once He does, your life will be a blessing to others.
When you are weak before God, He will be your strength before men. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29 NKJV).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius
Excellent post as usual.
Thank you!