September 18, 2012
Measuring Up
It has been a year
since one of our older gents from church was widowed and he continues to be
somewhat at a loss and grieving. Like many others during their later years of
life he says, “I don’t know why I’m still
here.” We compassionately accept this thought from the elderly because
after years of laboring for the Kingdom we know some of them are feeling tired and
they want to go home to be with the Lord. Is it possible that when we are weary
we take it upon ourselves to measure our own usefulness to the Lord? “When they measure themselves by themselves
and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2Cor 10:12 b
NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----If when we become weary we measure our usefulness by the stature of Billy Graham, or maybe James Dobson or C.S. Lewis or even the next door neighbor, we go astray, because we compare ourselves to one another. If we measure ourselves by the Lord, we are put in true perspective: substantially short. Yet there is some utility in measuring our own usefulness to the Lord. After all, we must recognize that to Him usefulness falls upon a scale between totally none and absolutely complete.
-----What counts when measuring your usefulness, though, are two things: the purpose for the measurement and the measuring stick used. There is one good purpose for measuring your usefulness. If you find yourself not useful to Him, you’ve got a serious issue requiring immediate address. Beyond that issue, the measure of your usefulness to Him is not your business. Your business is to be beneficial in whatever way the moment needs from you. That’s His call upon you as a servant. If you are weary, that moment’s way is probably rest. So, if you are useful much, even in getting rested, that is for someone else’s lips to acknowledge. And, as long as you are useful at all, if you are useful little you are forgiven more, which is a useful show of His mercy.
-----That is why the proper scale for measuring useful is important. Jesus always made a big deal about the first being last and the last being first. So if the last are first, then are they not the first who were the last who then are the first who will be the last? This same scale is upon the measuring stick of usefulness too. That stick measures three things only. It precisely measures the “not at all useful” of those cast out for not seeking forgiveness. It also precisely measures the “completely useful” of the man Jesus Christ alone. Everything else is as useful as the first is the last and the last are the first. By His graciousness our errors are even useful to Him, if you believe Romans 8:28. Even the effects of those who were measured to be not at all useful are useful to Him, their effects, mind you, not their selves. Sad to loose out on being useful for no reason other than just not asking for His forgiveness. And in that, anyone can gain much needed and useful rest when weary.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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