The Ministry of the Unnoticed

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Matthew 5:3

"The New Testament notices things which from our standards do not seem to count. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," literally - Blessed are the paupers - an exceedingly commonplace thing! The preaching of to-day is apt to emphasize strength of will, beauty of character - the things that are easily noticed. The phrase we hear so often, Decide for Christ, is an emphasis on something Our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him - a very different thing. At the basis of Jesus Christ's Kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. The thing I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, then Jesus says - Blessed are you, because it is through this poverty that I enter His Kingdom. I cannot enter His Kingdom as a good man or woman, I can only enter it as a complete pauper.

The true character of the loveliness that tells for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is priggish and un-Christian. If I say - I wonder if I am of any use - I instantly lose the bloom of the touch of the Lord. "He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water." If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life the implicit is never conscious, if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring."

Written by Oswald Chambers, taken from My Utmost for His Highest

Comments

[Sarah]

Kerry,

Thank you for continuing to write. I've been reading and pondering and really enjoying the thoughts that are provoked by you sharing your thoughts and life.
It's a blessing to me. Thank you!

Sarah in Idaho

[Caroline Salehi]

Hallelujah ! Thank you SO much for posting this, and loving Jesus.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
John 15.13

...because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace we have been saved.
Ephesians 2 4-5

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Phillipians 2 6-11

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them,”

[Carla Craig]

I am seeing and understanding this more and more. As we live quiet lives and seek to know Him and submit to Him, He seems to use us more than we realize. Even more so than a "great ministry" as the world would call it. Blessings to you sister, I miss you.

[kathy naylor]

Michael Cards weekly email ministry has as its subject, North Star People that you might enjoy....basically saying the same thing.

[julie in ca]

God is so good. Thankful for his words to you and that you obey and share. I always take away nuggets of truth from this blog.