It's Not About Me

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
      my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.  Isaiah 42:1

We all remember the first moments of our being born again.  I was reminded of that this past Sunday during church service.  The pastor talked serving God above all other things.  It took me to the very first thing that I learned in my first days as a born again Christian.  I had started reading Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, and the very first sentence of the book has been my guiding principle of my walk of faith.  It simply says, “It’s not about you.”  That phrase always gives me peace and clarity as to God’s expectations of me.  When I feel like complaining or don’t really feel up to doing the right thing above ‘the easy thing,’ I am reminded it is about serving God.  It’s not about me.

We should always remember that our walk of faith revolves around serving God and not how God can help us.  In the book of Isaiah, the prophecy of the coming Jesus Christ is told.  While we know He is the son of God, He is noted as a servant who is upheld as an authority figure by God.  In living a life like Christ, we are to remember that our relationship with God is one of admiration, love, and servitude just as Jesus’ relationship as the Son is.  Put another way, we are to give of ourselves selflessly and completely toward being a servant of God.  We are giving without expectation, and following without question.  That latter one is tough for me because I always want to understand why.  However, my understanding is secondary to God’s expectation of me to be a good and faithful Christian servant.

While our walk of faith is both rewarding and fun, it is not always easy.  Even Jesus asked God for clarity when following the path which led to His crucifixion (see Matthew 26:42).  What is noteworthy is Jesus asked that God’s will be done over all that he might have wished for.  That is what we must understand.  Us doing God’s will trumps all.  What are your struggling with God about?  How can you be more submitting to God’s will?  My prayer is that we remember that it’s about serving God. It’s not about me.  Amen.