Are You Indispensable?

by Bud Lambert

Satan destroys people by seducing us into believing lies. One lie Satan tries to get Christian workers to believe is "I'm indispensable." When we accept this misbelief we are in danger of doing our work for God with the wrong motive - - pride, envy, greed, jealously, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth, instead of love ( I Corinthians 13). And it also can lead us to do our work for God in unhealthy, inappropriate ways. Moses almost allowed this to happen to him in Exodus 18:1-26.

Listen to some common lies connected to this misbelief Backus and Chapian have identified (1980):

1. I am the Called One; the responsibility to help and direct others is upon me.

2. I've got something special and unique from the Lord that nobody else has. It's up to me to deliver my revelation to the world.

3. Nobody else can do the job I do as well as I.

4. Jesus expects me to give up all my rights to privacy, rest and recreation if I am to serve Him faithfully.

5. God expects me to help certain people, and if it weren't for me, they would be in pitiful shape.

6. It's my Christian duty to provide all the answers and solutions to the people God has given me the opportunity to help. If I don't, the consequences are on my head.

Now, consider the truth:

1. I am not the only person God can use to help and direct others ( 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

2. I am indeed special and unique; but so are others workers of God. My work is not the most important one on earth ( 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

3. Other people can serve God equally as well as I ( 1 Corinthians 3:3-8).

4. Jesus always took time out from ministering to relax and refresh himself ( Matthew 14:23), and so must I.

5. God has given me the opportunity to help others, but God could help them without me. I rejoice that He sees fit to use me while realizing people would not be in pitiful shape without me ( 2 Corinthians 3:1-6).

6. It is an honor to be psed by God. I realize, however, that I am not responsible for providing the answers and solutions to everyone's problems! He is-the Savior - I am His servant. I can point to the Way, but I cannot take the steps for the people ( 1 Corinthians 4:1-8).

• All Growing Spiritually - Not just a Few! -Sep 12, 2004