“We have to get rid of this notion-‘am I of any use?’ and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of value to God Himself.” –Oswald Chambers
This quote from Oswald Chambers may seem strong but it carries such powerful truth that may be the missing key for many of us. This Christian life is not about me being of use to God, as though God needed anything. He is the Creator “and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.” Acts 17:25 NLT
God doesn’t love me because I can do something for Him. What could I do for God? He is God? Do you get it. One of His names means “Self-existent One”. HE IS. That’s why we call Him I AM. He has always existed and never needed anything from anyone.
Paul understood this perfectly after his encounter with Jesus. He determined to put no confidence in his abilities or charisma. He was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit and in his identity in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
If there ever was a man that could boast in his accomplishments, it would have been Paul. In Philippians, Paul basically lays out his religious resume and goes on to explain why he counted all of that as rubbish and came to rely on Christ’s value for him.
Phil 3:1-11 NLT
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
God doesn’t need me but He WANTS me. He wants me because I am of value to Him. He demonstrated this by giving up His only begotten Son, Jesus.
The scriptures are filled with verse after verse of God expressing how much He values us. In Romans it says that while we were utterly helpless and in sin, Jesus came to die for us.
Romans 5:6-8 NLT
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
He was willing to lay down His life for love. It wasn’t only about what He could accomplish through us, He was overwhelmed by love for us.
I once asked God to tell me how much He loved me. He said, “I’d give nations for you”-that’s a lot of love.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. Isaiah 43:3-4 NLT
When we finally give up this idea that we are of use to God, we humble ourselves and only then can He start to do great things through us. God is looking for humility and brokenness before Him. Psalm 51:17.
I rest in knowing this; it’s not about how much I can do, it’s about how much He loves me.
© Solape Osoba 2011
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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