Today, Take an Overdose of Humility

After the death of Moses the Lord ’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. (Joshua 1:1, 2 NLT)

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. (Romans 12:3 NLT)

The story is told about the ant that exclaimed, after crossing a bridge riding on an elephant, "Wow we did shake that good old bridge!" Talk of self-importance.

Sometimes all we need is a little reminder to take ourselves less seriously. To put the credit for whatever impact God might be making through our lives where it really belongs - with God. We need to be reminded that while our work and service are important, we are not indispensable as we sometimes are tempted to think. We need to remind ourselves that God is the one working through us and that he also has a succession and replacement plan in place for his work.

Someone once shared this with me and it that has never left me. He said: " If you put your hand in a bucket full of water and stir the water, you can cause the water to whirl and turn. Your hand actually "drill" a "hole" in the water and causes much activity to ensue. But then when you remove your hand, the water immediately fills the "hole" you had made and returns soon to its unagitated resting state. Here's the lesson, he said: no matter how effective you are in ministry and how much God is doing through you, never think you are indispensable. Don't let it get into your head because like the hand in the water, when you are removed, the hole you thought you will be easily covered up and God can easily get another hand to continue the agitation. There are no human shoes to big to fill- only God's."

Look at our text today. Moses had an extraordinary ministry.Think of all the mighty acts God accomplished through Moses, miracles that have yet to be replicated in history: the parting of a sea, seeding a meat rain, tapping water out of the rock, turning rods to snakes and rivers to blood. Then there was the law he received from the very presence of God carved in stones by the very finger of God. Yet after Moses was gone, God said, " Next!" He found someone else to continue the work in Joshua.

This reminds that God's work is more than an individual. It goes beyond a denomination or group. It transcends generations. It is bigger than you. So at every point when God gives you an opportunity to serve, do it humbly. Be serious with the assignment but don't take yourself too seriously. Don't be like our proverbial ant on the elephant. God has a deep bench: like the 7000 who have not bowed their knees waiting in the wings ( 1 Kings 19:18), the Joshuas watching your every move, and the secretly anointed Davids serving right now in Saul's palace.

Serve God diligently with all you've got, but have it at the back of your mind that serving is only a privilege. You were not the first he called to do it and you will not be the last. Don't overwork yourself for lack of delegation because you are convinced you are the only one who can do things right. You may end up killing yourself but the work will go right on after you if it is God's work.

So today, take an overdose of humility. Let it tranquilize your ego to learn to rest, to delegate and to have a mind to inspire others to do what you do. And if God says," Next!" implying he has someone else prepared for the job you have always done, gladly relinquish it and move on to what next he has for you. He will never leave you in the dumpsters.

Decision of the Day

I choose to serve God humbly, to take myself less seriously. I realize that while my work with God is important and to be taken seriously, it is bigger than me and it is not about me. I am not indispensable. I will give place for other to serve and rejoice if God takes my job and give it to another, knowing he has other plans for me.