RE: “God, in me is no good thing, please help me to be what you want me to be.” –Rebekah E.
I love the humility and the compassion that Rebekah expressed in her synopsis of her trip to Europe (particularly the excerpt above). I appreciate that, especially in young people.
But I often stumble with this concept, Brother John.
Paul said: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.”
That is the nature of man that Paul is talking about, isn’t it? Our sinful fleshly nature.
For surely, Rebekah and each one of us has “good” things in us, God-given characteristics and talents, particularly since giving us His Spirit. Isn’t Rebekah gifted at math and especially skilled at accounting? Doesn’t Darren have a remarkable gift from God that some of us do not have? His talent and artistry are good things aren’t they? Isn’t Bekah C. a fine writer with integrity, keen discernment and an honest heart? When we confess that we have nothing good in us, it seems to be a put-down of ourselves, and of the talents that we really do possess which make up our individual personalities, and which we all value about one another. It sounds harsh for Rebekah to say that about herself, even though I know she only means that in her fleshly nature there is NO good thing.
I do think her supplication to God is sincere and holy and humble, (I have prayed the very same thing frequently) but the more we confess our nothingness, the more we stay “nothing.” If we say, out loud, that we are worthless, how can we be of value to an employer or to our employees or to our customers? How can we be useful in the world if we have such a low level of confidence all of the time? I am wrestling with this because sometimes when I try to summon up the confidence and the ambition to seek out new paths, I am sabotaged by the concept of me being “nothing”; no good, as Paul professed. But I know that I am good! God has made me good. I am good for people to be around, at least I think so. And I am diligent, and enthusiastic, and courteous, and conscientious in my work—in anything I apply myself to. . . yet therein lies the conflict! :^/
Would you help me to understand how to be a “zero,” with Jesus, yet not let it affect my self-image in the world?
I’ll love you if you can fix this in me.
Brad
e.g.: Uncle Joe, you once said, could’ve been a brilliant lawyer, or a great baseball player too, but succeeded at neither. Could it be that he thought so little of himself that he simply never pursued those opportunities? Can humility be so heavy that it cripples us?
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Yes, you are right, Brad. Paul was careful to make sure that his readers knew that he was speaking of his fleshly nature when he said, “In me dwells no good thing.” One of the biggest problems that many of God’s children have is that of putting themselves down too far. That’s why I warned people Saturday night, if you remember, not to go into the negative numbers. Just stay at zero. So, yes, I am glad you pointed that out. There needs to be a balance in all things. Jesus has put many good things in all of us, and when we live in those good things, we stay happy.
jdc
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Man, oh man, you have a way of explaining something so thoroughly in just one small paragraph.
Brad