A 2nd suggested barrier to serving others is PERFECTIONISM; wanting every thing to be perfect. You know, "When it's all just right, when things settle down, then I'll serve."
In the Old Testament we read such an excuse in the words,"If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done." Eccl. 11:4 (NLT)
Real servants, Christ-like servants, do the best they can with what they have for Jesus Christ today. They don't wait. You see what's happened in many churches today, is we have made an idol out of excellence. We really have. And many people worship excellence, even Christians. And they say "Well, you know if you can't do it first class, don't even try."
There is a practice based on "The Good Enough Principle" and the Good Enough Principle is this: it doesn't have to be perfect for God to bless it.
That's the truth. If God only used perfect people, what would get done in this world? Nothing! A contemporary writer put is this way, “We're all a bunch of misfits. We all have weaknesses. We all have faults. We all have failures. We all have handicaps. But guess what? God uses us all. Why? Because God doesn't use perfect people because there aren't any. There aren't enough superstars in this world to get it done. God uses normal people.”
Today, we need to see ourselves in the stream of what God is doing in history. He has blessed us, not just so that we’ll be blessed, but so that we can become a blessing to others. We can’t bottle it up. He wants us, ordinary though we are, to be His channel for taking of serving others.
If you visit some cathedrals and church buildings you might see stained glass windows with pictures depicting the apostles, or great men of faith, they are portrayed as saints with shining halos around their heads. These images suggest to us, ‘we’re not like them’. They were holy, they were special, handpicked by Jesus. ‘When they prayed amazing things happened, but God isn’t so bothered about my prayers.’ ‘They could do no wrong, but I’m not like that.’
But as soon as you pick up the bible and read scriptures for yourself, you get a whole different picture, don’t you?
The great hero’s of the faith suddenly appear quite human and normal after all. I am struck just how ordinary and normal they appear. The scriptures are very intentional about showing us the real people God uses, with their weaknesses failings and all.
Gracious God,
Thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me. Invite me to discover your presence
In each person that I meet
And every event that I encounter.
Teach me when to speak and when to listen
When to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision
Attune my heart to the whisperings of your Wisdom.
As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
Gift me with simple joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice.
When it grows difficult, surprise me with
New possibilities.
When life is overwhelming, call me to
Sabbath moments
To restore your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today reveal your Goodness. Amen
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