The Ministry of the Unnoticed
Blessed
are the poor in spirit¡K - Matthew 5:3
The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by
our standards. ¡§Blessed are the poor in spirit¡K.¡¨ This literally means,
¡§Blessed are the paupers.¡¨ Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of
today tends to point out a person¡¦s strength of will or the beauty of his
character¡X things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear,
¡§Make a decision for Jesus Christ,¡¨ places the emphasis on something our Lord
never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him¡X
something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ¡¦s kingdom is the
genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my
poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or
excellence, then Jesus says to me, ¡§Blessed are you, because it is through your
poverty that you can enter My kingdom.¡¨ I cannot enter
His kingdom by virtue of my goodness¡X I can only enter it as an absolute
pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always
unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful
and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose
the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. ¡§He who believes in Me¡Kout of his heart will flow rivers of living water¡¨ (John 7:38). And if
I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones
who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that
they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never
conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have
the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always
know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something
that is inspiring.
(Taken from Oswald Chambers ¡V ¡§My Utmost
for His Highest¡¨ August 21)