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I’m not as important as I think I am. I’m not as important as you think I am. Neither are you. None of us are. We are all expendable resources of God for His glory and purposes.
Does that freak you out? Join the club, we’ve got jackets.
To quote the famous Mrs. Beaver, “He’s not a tame lion. Goodness, no, He’s not safe…but He’s good.”
God’s goal is not for us to have a safe existence.
If you need to die to expand the Kingdom, He’ll let it happen. If your life needs suffering, pain, death, happiness, blessing, tears, laughter, poverty, or richness to expand His work and bring Him glory - He’ll do it.
Want some proof? Look back at Mark 10:42-45. Jesus saw Himself as expendable - whatever the Father wants.
How about Paul? Peter? James? Stephen? John the Baptist?
Does God love us/them? Absolutely. He loves them enough give them the only thing in the world (and out of the world) that matters - Himself. He won’t let them substitute Himself with something that won’t eternally satisfy - especially their concern of their own existence. Breathing air is utter garbage compared to knowing Him.
Everything else - including us - is expendable.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Wayne // Mar 17, 2005 at 12:35 pm
Brother, I’m with ya!
2 Wayne // Mar 17, 2005 at 12:35 pm
Eventhough my flesh screams, NO!
3 rob // Mar 17, 2005 at 4:19 pm
Can I get my jacket in orange? I’d like me an orangejack-et.
Your post reminded me of an earlier post of mine.
4 Kelly // Mar 18, 2005 at 3:45 am
I’ve been trying to come to terms with this thought for years. As it probably happens with most people, it fluxuates between complete acceptance and abject terror.
Most Christians would be fine with being “expended” if they knew the immediate benefit (ie, five additional people will become Christians, or even just one). It’s just the thought of dying and not knowing the benefit that wigs me out.
Thanks goodness God is constant, because my emotions certainly aren’t.
5 Jerry // Mar 18, 2005 at 5:15 pm
“Expendable” makes better copy, but I still don’t like the connotation.
Our purpose is to die. That doesn’t mean we are expendable, it means that our purpose is fulfilled when we die. Once dead, God can begin to produce value through us.
Trusting in God’s goodness, sovreignty, and love assures us that our death has meaning, regardless of whether we know that meaning or not.
So if, “expendable” means God wants us dead, then I agree. If “expendable” means that our life can be discarded with no consequences, then I disagree.
And death can be our physical death, but I think most often God simply wants the death of our selfish will.
How about, “I’m expandable upon death.” ? God’s fruit through us expands once we die to ourselves.
6 Grant // Mar 18, 2005 at 8:40 pm
Might be semantics but -
Our purpose is to LIVE, now if we have to die to do that - so be it.
He who loses his life will find it, he who seeks to save it - will lose it.
I think the tendancy - at least in the West/US - is to filter Christ as this big safety blanket and his sole purpose is to make our lives easier, more comfortable, and free of pain and suffering.
Most prayers I hear don’t have anything to do with expanding His kingdom but is about our safety and comfort.
Most of us have a “me-centered” theology - which lends itself to thinking we are NOT expendable. We “bring too much to the table for God!” (sarcasm)
7 Wayne // Mar 19, 2005 at 7:41 am
Along those lines, Grant, I think most of us in the west tend to insulate ourselves from having to REALLY trust God…I think we fail to truly lose our lives because we spend our whole lives working to secure ourselves financially, physically, emotionally and every other way.
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