Yesterday morning I asked God to show me what I don’t know that I need to know. I wasn’t prepared for His answer.

He told me, “You’re too capable.”

“What do you mean, Lord?”

“You have created good, healthy rhythm in a lot of your life areas. You are productive with your time. You have lowered your cholesterol. You read good stuff on blogs. You’re up to date on your Youversion Bible reading plan. You pray for people as EchoPrayer sends you your prayer list via texts all through the day.  You are always reading something on personal growth. You are always thinking about how to educate a population of ministry leaders on the fine art of mocking burnout. You love your wife and kids…

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“You rely on yourself too much. You rely on me too little for what really matters. Capability is a slippery slope. Once you see success in an area of life, it’s tempting to let self-reliance slip in and start a conversation with you. Before long, you are all buddy-buddy and your utter brokenness and dependence on me fades into the woodwork.”

“Oh.”

“Remember what I said? ‘I am the vine. You are the branches. Apart from me you can do nothing.‘  I mean it. Apart from me you are just like that bonsai tree you tried to grow. You may look (and feel) good for a season, but you’re not really impacting the world the way I want you to.”

“Forgive me, Lord. How can I keep from becoming too dangerously capable?”

“Let’s get together more often. Let me do the talking. You listen.”

photo by Orin Zebest

Just yesterday, I got a message on Facebook from a friend. Here’s what it said:

“Last week Jamie*, a missionary to Mexico, was shot and killed. We knew her since she when she was kid and attended the same church where my wife’s parents attended. Just a few weeks ago, our niece sent us a CD that she made with Jamie as a result of that church’s sixtieth anniversary. Jamie was a good keyboard artist and my wife’s niece plays the organ so we have been enjoying their duets. We were shocked to learn of the shooting and Jamie’s demise. While it could be argued that some unknown shooters took her life, I believe it could also be argued that Jamie lay down her life. She had the option to not go into Mexico as it has become increasingly dangerous but she made a decision believing it was God’s will to take the Gospel there.” 

*The name has been changed

At Serving Strong, we talk a great deal about self care, working from our rest, proper rhythm, and the like. These are ways of staying in top shape for God when He calls us to minister to others. We also talk about the great “serving strong paradox”: We are strongest when we are the weakest before God, dependent and willing to be used.

My questions for you, my readers, are:

Does God call men and women to serve in the middle of harm’s way?

Those who have read the books “Radical” by David Platt or “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan, what’s your take on this question?

lyn smith

Choosing To Limp

Recently I heard a well-intentioned Christian speaker give tips on how to communicate effectively.  I walked away having learned how to come up with a hook or a gimmick that pulls in the audience.  Which begs the question:  If God has given us a message and called us to go, do we need gimmicks?    

Don’t get me wrong.  I am all about preparation and excellence when speaking for and about Jesus.  I understand marketing and creativity.  But at what point do we let go of the need to “make it happen” and rest in what God wants to do?  

God uniquely wires each of us to accomplish His purposes.  He gives us talents, personality, spiritual gifts and resources.  Because we are equipped in those ways, we can “succeed” to some extent on our own or with minimal interaction with God.  Sadly, that is where many people settle, never fulfilling all God has for them.  God’s plans for us are beyond what we can ask or imagine.  Why settle for small “victories” in our own strength when God promises mind-blowing results in His?    

Consider Jacob’s experience  

Jacob was quiet but observant.  Crafty and savvy.  Armed with his mother’s favor and God’s call on his life, he began to manipulate people and circumstances to “make it happen.”  And it did, albeit with some hefty price tags.  He got the girl he wanted and great wealth – life was good!  Except he was not free.  He was controlled by Laban and held hostage by his sins of deceit.   

God could not fully unleash Himself in Jacob’s life until Jacob understood that he was not enough.  Until he realized his inadequacy.  Until he knew his need for God.  Until he stopped trying on his own.  Until he lived every day desperately dependent.   

It took a wrestling match with God and a painful wrenching of the hip to end Jacob’s self-sufficiency.  No longer the youthful, swaggering schemer, he approached his brother with humility and a limp.   

When we truly encounter God, when we wrestle with Him and surrender, when He marks us in a way we will never forget, we have a message that does not need gimmicks or hooks. Take a lesson from Jacob and lead from the hip. Are you leading from your natural abilities or your God-touched place of surrender? 

photo credit

Share some examples of natural abilities we all tend to rely on too much…

Every once in a while in history, God raises up incredible mentors for the rest of us. These mentors show us what it looks like to serve strong in ministry. I call these “silent mentors” because, although they impact my life in a profound way, they will never know it this side of heaven.

One such silent mentor of mine is Jim Elliot*. If you respect Jim Elliot as much as I do, you will appreciate some of his quotes:

“God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.”

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores – more than abundantly – what it takes away.”

“Live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the will of God.” (what a definition of “burn”!)

Which of these quotes speaks to you today? Do you have one to add?

*If you don’t know about Jim Elliot, you need to watch this video:

So you serve others, huh?

Cool.

How’s that working out for you?

Are you able to wake up consistenly refreshed and enthused about starting another day?

Do you wake with a renewed sense of purpose?

No?

Then…

STOP what you’re doing right now.

Re-engage with the God who is your source of strength.

How?

Tell your “people” you’ll be back later.

Find a quiet spot alone.

Fall on your knees.

Stay there.

Listen.

Have you ever listened this way before? If so, how has it help you?

A ministry leader recently left a comment on the blog post, “Be Desperate And Carry A Big Faith” saying,

 “…to be strong or even “absurd” in my faith.”

“Absurd”. Interesting word. Normally associated with a negative outlook. Not looked upon as a term of endearment. However, combined with faith in a God, the word “absurd” has new meaning. Let’s look at what the dictionary has to say about this word:

1. Ridiculously incongruous or unreasonable.

2. Of, relating to, or manifesting the view that there is no order or value in human life or in the universe.

Incongruous and unreasonable? Exactly. Incongruous with conventional wisdom. How many times has God led you outside your comfort zone to see what is really going on with His Kingdom plan? Incongruous and unreasonable faith? You bet.

No order or value in human life or in the universe? Yep, that too. Before you think I’m advocating that humans and the universe aren’t worth anything allow me to explain. Better yet, here’s a scripture:

“The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.” (1 Corinthians 2.13 MSG bold mine)

Absurd faith goes against the attraction to rely on human strategy and planning exclusively. It also goes against how we may come to understand the universe. Oh, we may thing we have the law of gravity completely understood, but I bet God’s logarithms are much more complex than we think.

God calls us to an absurd faith in Him. It means living right-side up in an upside-down world. An absurd faith in God keeps us serving strong.

Is your faith in God’s ability absurd today? Got an example?