Nothing to Offer yet Much to Appreciate

Let’s be real about our place before the Lord, and let’s really accept that we have nothing to bring Him. Then fall in love with God even more, for there will be more room for Him in your heart.

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Mark 1:7, ” And he preached, saying, ‘There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.’ “

Background

Last week, I was in a car wreck. A driver turned left in front of me, and the best I could do was hit the brakes and turn the wheel as I slammed into his passenger side doors. An hour later, my car was being towed away, the front end badly crumpled and fluids leaking from out of the engine. Today I expect to hear from the insurance company that the car is totaled, and that they will reimburse me some amount comparable to what the Blue Book says it is worth. Now, the car was by no means new. But it was very reliable and had been taken care of by its previous owner, so its value to our family was far greater than whatever amount some third party may assign to it. But this disconnect between two possible perspectives of value and worth is around us everywhere, isn’t it? For when we buy or sell something, don’t we usually think the worth is higher when we’re selling and lower when we’re buying?

Application

And where John the Baptist’s life was concerned, the contrast could not have been more stark. For here he was, cousin to the Son of God, fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, forerunner to the ministry of the Messiah, baptizer of Jesus, and he says that he is not worthy to stoop down and unbuckle the sandals of Jesus. But this voice in the wilderness, who would eventually lose his head for the cause of Christ, didn’t suffer from a low self-esteem. He merely knew that the chasm between him and Christ was so great that he didn’t deserve even the lowest of positions before the Lord. But what a strange dichotomy for us to reconcile. We have a hard time accepting that we have nothing to bring Him, even though few of us will accomplish what John did or lose our life in Jesus’ name. We don’t expect to sit beside Jesus, but subconsciously, we place some value in our goodness or kindness or steadfastness. But none of that matters, not to God. We’re still not worthy, we’re still no better, we’re still less than a sandal buckler. But He knows that, and He loves us anyway. And as you realize how little you have to offer, you will realize how big His love is. It’s as big as God.

Charge

As we seek Him today, let’s be real about our place before the Lord, and let’s really accept that we have nothing to bring Him. Then fall in love with God even more, for there will be more room for Him in your heart.

Author — Rich Holt | BCWorldview.org

Salvation — Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words