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.

________________________________________________________________

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

August 4, 2010

So the day after I wallow around in self doubt and guilt about not measuring up to and for God, Oswald Chambers writes about how our natural poverty is essential for God to use us. What looks like triumph for the enemy turns into victory in Jesus. The cross was such a victory.

And God says…”My ways are not your ways. I do not ask for blind trust, but I cannot show you my ways because you cannot comprehend. I can show you and give you MY love, and grace and power and all the fruits of the Spirit that are not naturally yours. I can show you the natural wonder of the earth and universe. And I can change you from the inside out. But I cannot show you the reasons why or the next steps or even the works I will do through you. You will not comprehend.

I can leverage your failures and your successes, which are even more difficult to navigate. Trust and obey, stay connected and look back over the days, months and years and you will see the change.

Stay connected to Me through Jesus Christ and know that nothing can separate you from the love of God…….not even you.