40 Days of Lint, Day Seven: I Have Nothing to Offer

One of the worst parts of spiritually dry times is the guilt Satan heaps on us. He loves to convince us we’re useless, either because of our past sins, or the damage others have done to us. After my divorce, I felt useless, irreparably broken. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to serve on the church board and the mission council at my church that same year. Through this validation of my fellow believers, God showed me I could still serve in His kingdom.

Guilt and insecurity are nothing new in our generation. For centuries now, men and women alike have refused to believe the Good News that they can be saved, or once saved, that they are fit to minister for a number of reasons. We say:

·         I’m not worthy

·         I’m not smart enough, don’t know enough

·         I turned my back on Him; He’s given up on me

·         I’m handicapped

God’s answer is always, “If you love me, I can use you. The world needs your gifts and perspective and voice.”

“Let no foreigner who is bound to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.’ And let no eunuch complain, ‘I am only a dry tree.’
For this is what the LORD says: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.
‘And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’” (Isaiah 56:3-7).

No one is excluded from the Lord’s invitation. A barren, unfruitful life given to Him will flourish and become productive. None of us are beyond the reach of His love and healing. He will not reject anyone who comes in repentance and humility. That goes for first-time comers, as well as repeat customers. He has a way of taking our messy lives and making something new and beautiful out of them. Instead of remaining worthless, we become showpieces of His amazing love. 

Lint Removed: Hopelessness

Cleaning Process: Accept His Invitation