“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:6) “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18)
Everything that we do, every word or thought that we express outside of the power of the Holy Spirit holds absolutely no value, as the lives of the lost are, we in ourselves can no more glorify God than they can, it is the Spirit of God that glorifies God. Proof? ““I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30) “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” (John 15:4) These few words along with the Scripture verses have brought many to the point of desperation, for they have been shown that all their personal efforts have availed them nothing, they must come to the realization that obeying is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam. 15:22)
What we attempt to do for the Lord without His guidance will not be blessed, if we move forward without His direction our efforts will not be honored, we must learn to wait patiently on the Lord. There is a path that a man can trod that will avail much, but it is the path least taken by most, it is the path of obedience, it is the path that our Lord walked upon. To remain on it will bring much personal trial and travail, especially for the one who desires above all to serve well. It is for us called the path of faith, it comes only with the realization that the first three verses in this letter to you and all others like them are the truth, dust is of no value to the Lord, and we are fortunate that He remembers that we are but dust. (Psalm 103:14) “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Prov. 14:12)
How then are we to know for a fact that what we are doing for Christ is indeed in the will of the Father and blessed by Him. “But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” (Acts 5:39) If what you are accomplishing for the Lord is from Him, it will bear fruit, souls will be saved, He will be exalted above the heavens, and you will be humbled. No one stops God when He begins to move, what He has purposed will be accomplished, and not one thing will hinder the man that He has called to accomplish His will. God does not choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen, not one thing that He has set upon this man will be left undone, and what has been set upon him this man knows he cannot accomplish on his own, only through the power and might of the Holy Spirit can he move forward.
This chosen vessel is far down the road to dying to self, he sees no value in himself outside of Christ, he finds all that the world offers to be useless trash, all of his past accomplishments are of no value to him. He thinks eternally, his own life he has forfeited for the glory of God, he is a man purposed by Christ. He is adamant and patient at the same time, he can see no reason for his existence outside of the Savior, His will is to be done at all times, he has learned to submit. If you desire to traverse this path, you must learn, you must be willing to submit to the teachings of the Holy Spirit upon your soul two important points, that God is Sovereign, and that you must be crucified with Him, you must die to self.
All desires of the world must be cast aside, all desires of the flesh must be denied, all of your being, all that you are must be submitted to the will of the Most High, it is the only path available to the one that is above all else desiring to be a profitable servant.
Our Lord is the master of delayed gratification, we are not, we must turn from ourselves to be able to turn towards Him, there is no other way. No one is of any value to the kingdom who will not submit fully and completely to the will of God, only those who are willing to die to self can be profitable servants.
