I Am a Good-For-Nothing Slave, I Have Only Done My Duty

"You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ........But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE for God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are the PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY but now you RECEIVED MERCY."     1 Peter 2:5, 9-10

God loves us.  Completely.  Deeply.  Madly.  And He has called us to be a HOLY PEOPLE for HIS GLORY.  When I STOP (not just pause for a brief second but really stop and wait on the Lord) and truly THINK about this it MOVES me. It moves me to action.  To get up and do something about this incredible outpouring of God's love for me-to share it in real, tangible life-giving ways to others.  The God of our universe, the Creator of all things, loves me!  A finite human being-an ant of a person really.

One of the stories that Robert (one of our team leaders) shared with us during our Vision Trip was Luke 17:7-10.  It was very humbling to me.  He shared it one evening as we set around the dinner table a few days after we arrived in Kaabong.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself for being in Africa and being obedient to God's call.  Then Bobby shared the story and I was like boom!  Sucker-punched in the heart!  What a blow to my pride. These verses had never stood out to me before but after he told them as a story (several times) it finally began to sink in.  Here I was giving myself satisfied pats on the back for going to Uganda, and the Word of the Lord, living and breathing cut me to the core, revealing the sin in my heart.

Dear Jesus, any righteousness in my life I try to offer on my own is like filthy rags.  Anything good in me is only the result of YOU.  If I am going to take up my cross and follow You I have to see myself as Your SERVANT, Your SLAVE.  Please forgive me for my pride when I am only doing what You have commanded me to do-to  GO and make DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS.  I praise You that just as You have called me to this task, You will also equip me with the daily grace to accomplish it for Your Glory!  Continue to search my heart and reveal the areas in my life that need to be given to You completely.  

May we fall in love with our Savior more and more each day and seek His will for our lives.  May we make it our daily prayer that when we stand before the King of Kings we have done all He has commanded us to do and yet we say with humility and adoration, "We are good-for-nothing slaves; we've only done our duty."