Hindrances

“I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God.” (My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers)

Does my life produce a yearning for God in the lives of others? Or does it just promote admiration for myself? I suspect it’s the latter.

How can the way I live promote a yearning for God? It would require a certain level of transparency. People would have to see through me, beyond me, to God. I would have to get out of the way.

The focus would have to be on God’s Spirit coursing through me, rather than on my attributes and skills. What are some specific things that hinder my usefulness to God? Sometimes, in my desire to be clever and original, I ignore God’s whispers while I write. A Bible verse or concept will come to mind, but I’ll reject it because I’ve written about it before. Or I’ll read something powerful that makes me yearn for God, and I get this nudge to share it with others. But I’m hesitant to just quote other authors, because it seems unoriginal of me to do so. Yet maybe someone needs to hear a specific verse or excerpt from a book today. My ego is just getting in the way. When I’m more concerned about whether what I write is fresh and new, rather than if it influences others to respond to God, I’m hindering my usefulness to God. I have to completely let go of thoughts of myself.

 
“Nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” (1 Cor. 2:3-5 MSG)