I was on a phone call with a young man the other day, and he made the following statement during the call. He said, “Pastor Eli, you have always been 100% for the Lord.” I felt uncomfortable with what he said because that statement wasn’t 100% accurate. I didn’t correct him out of fear and pride, but I dwelled on his words all night.
I started to ask the Lord, “Why did this young man’s statement bother me?”
The voice of the Spirit whispered to my soul and said, “Because you know how many broken pieces I’ve had to pick up.”
He said, “Only you and I know how many times I have had to mend you together. Only you and I know how often I have had to clean, polish, and send you back into the mission field.”
As believers, sometimes we forget what the “grace of God” has done for us. Occasionally, we may even try to take credit for our contribution to the Kingdom of God. We may say things like,
“I am not appreciated around here.”
“What will happen when I am gone?”
“I am too valuable for them to get rid of me.”
“I am not feeling it anymore.”
The danger behind these “I” statements is that they put God in the background. While we wouldn’t dare to admit it publicly, somewhere on the inside we feel as if “it is my gift,” “my talent,” or “my skills,” and forget that everything we are and have belongs to the Lord.
“The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it” (Psalms 89:11, NIV).
Church, as we enter into this new ministry year, let’s make sure that our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit is better. Let’s lean more into His presence and let Him drive our lives. The more we surrender to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the more effective we become. Our lives, home, family and ministry become more significant when He is driving and guiding us toward the steps of righteousness.
When talking about the Lord, John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV). In other words, he is saying “less of me and more of him.” The apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a, ESV). Through this statement, Apostle Paul teaches that it is not me who is 100% for the Lord, but rather the Lord who is 100% for me. May the Lord bless you and guide your hearts towards His direction.
Pastor Eli Hernandez
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