October 24, 2010
-
God can use a humble heart
There are many meanings attributed to the word humble and I think we too often apply the wrong meaning when read of God’s desire for us to be humble. Humble can mean feeling insignificant, inferior, or of less worth. It also can mean low in rank, importance, or quality. God is not seeking for us to feel insignificant, inferior, or worthless. The very opposite is true, God tells us over and over again how important we are to God and to each other. God created us so we cannot be inferior, and God says we are important enough that God cares about every part of us, even the number of hairs on our heads. We must never confuse God honoring humility with thinking poorly of ourselves or allowing others to make us feel like we are inferior. The humility that God is seeking is the humility that is not arrogant or boastful. This humility comes from our understanding that all we are and all we do is a gift from God and not of our own making.
God cannot use us if our humble heart tells us to hide our gifts and talents under a basket. We are given the gift of singing so we can sing God’s praises. We are given the gift of playing music so we can worship God with our instruments. We are given the gift of preaching and teaching so we can lead others to know God. We are given the gift administration so we can be good stewards of what God has given the church. We are given the gift of healing so others might know God’s power through healing. We are given the gift of hospitality so we can care for stranger and homeless person. We are given the gift of charity so we can care for the widows, the orphans, and the aliens in our midst. Every gift or talent we have been given by God is for us to use to glorify God and accomplish God’s will here on earth. It is not humble to hide your gifts away and God cannot use such humility.
God cannot use a humble heart that says I am so unworthy that I do not offer to do anything. God wants us to recognize that we are God’s creation and as such we are not inferior and we do not have to change anything or deny any part of ourselves to be worthy in God’s sight. It is false humility to fail to offer any service to God and God’s people because we are not worthy. This church and this community are in need of people who will offer their gifts and talents of leadership, teaching, praising, and serving in many different ways and I believe God has placed people with the talents we need in our community and they must step up and offer the gifts and talents they have so we can succeed as God’s church.
Having a humble heart does not mean we hide our talents or declare our unworthiness to serve, a humble heart means we acknowledge the source and purpose of the gifts and talents we have been given. Those of us who sing, play, teach, preach, administer, heal, and give must do so not to gain our own fame or to increase our own power. We are to have a humble heart that says I can do all things through God who strengthens me and all I do I do through what God has given me. The humble heart that God can use is a heart that does not boast of what it can do and the humble heart does not envy the talents of others. The humble heart recognizes God has given all of us gifts and talents and none of us are superior or inferior to another. It is when we freely share the diverse talents that we have been given that the community becomes a powerful source to be reckoned with is this community and this world.
We are entering a time of stewardship. I encourage each one of you to honestly consider what gifts and talents you have been given by God and how God wants you to use those to achieve the mission of this church. We should each consider what we can do to assure this church keeps the promise we and those before us have made to God, not in a boastful and way and not in a false humility but with an honest humble heart. This is what God can use. Amen.
