HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD
CHAPTER SIX
WEEK 3 - MONDAY
Bible Reading: Jer 18:1-6; 2 Cor 3:18
On the day we were saved, the life of Christ entered into us. If we loved the Lord more and more, if we consecrated ourselves to Him, if we abandoned our future, if we allowed our natural life to be broken and our disposition to be transformed, if we followed the spiritual light and lived in Christ, the life that is in us would have the opportunity to grow.
This growth of life is our function, our service. Eventually, the function of prophet manifests in one brother, while the function of teacher manifests in another. In a third brother, the function of presbyter sprouts, the function of deacon sprouts in another, and the function of one who shows mercy, in another. All types of Christian functions are born out of the inner life.
The functions for service to the Lord are not learned in seminars. They are, instead, the fruit of the growth of the inner life. A person who serves the Lord does not necessarily have a diploma, but they are certainly a member of the Body. The function of any member depends on the growth and strength of the life within them. How does a child grow into an adult? Their growth does not require teaching. It only requires provision to nourish them properly and to meet the demands of growth in life. Then, one day, they will naturally grow and become an adult.
Many think that only those who are very wise can be used by the Lord, and since they themselves are foolish, they could never be used by the Lord. This is not true. Do not say, "I have no eloquence, I cannot speak, and I cannot preach the word, so what am I good for? Only those who have a high degree of eloquence, who can speak fluently and without stopping, are really good at something. Only they can truly be used by the Lord." This is not true.
Whether we are useful to the Lord or not depends entirely on whether the life of the Lord has had the opportunity to grow in us. We must ask ourselves: "Do I love the Lord? Have I consecrated myself to Him? Do I give the Lord the opportunity to grow? Do I allow the life of the Lord to have place in me? Have I set aside my future? Am I willing to let my natural life and my flesh be broken and eliminated, allowing myself to be put aside?"
Being used in the Lord's hand has nothing to do with ability or capacity to be useful, but with the growth of life in us.
This is a truth: the extent to which a person gives place to the life of the Lord is the extent of their usefulness in the Lord's hand. Let us share a little testimony.
What I am now is completely different from what I was when I was a child. In my childhood, I was shy and isolated. I did not like to be with others, and I preferred to sit alone, always avoiding others. At school, I spoke very little. I did not like to participate in activities and had almost no contact with people. At home, when visitors came, I saw it as an opportunity to slip away because every time I saw people, I would blush, and my lips would tremble when I spoke. That was how I was naturally.
One day, however, the Lord called me to stand up and speak in His name, and from that day on, I began to consecrate myself daily, the Lord dealt with me every day, and I learned to live in the Lord each day. In 1947, in Shanghai, I met a brother who told me, "Brother Lee, when you were young, you must have been a very popular student and a skilled speaker." I replied, "Brother, you are wrong. If you asked my classmates, you would find that I am completely different from what I was when I was young. It's as if there were two different people."
No matter what you are in your natural man, when you are willing to give place to the life of Christ, He will live in your place. He will transform your being and make you a different person, completely different from what you were before. Before you did not like activities, but now He wants you to be active. Perhaps you did not like quietness, but now He wants you to be calm. Perhaps you did not like to speak, but now He wants you to speak. Perhaps you did not like to make contact with people, but now He wants you to contact them, He will transform you completely.
Enjoy more: Hymn 196
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