Over the last several weeks God has been wrecking me with His Truth and it has been so liberating, humbling and encouraging. One of the things that God has been revealing to me in this season is the detrimental destructive power of the word "I" in my walk with Him, in my relationships, and in ministry. One letter, that forms one word can truly hinder and destroy all that God desires to do in and through your life and mine. Let me explain what I mean by that.
The word "I" in so many different ways and forms can put me in the center of everything. The word "I" can easily fool me into believing that some how I am the most important thing on God's mind. The word "I" can mislead me into thinking that somehow I am more important than others and that somehow "I" have become the center of God's universe! Now I know as you read those statements you must be thinking that is a little much. That is not what happens, that is not what "I" or others believe when we are, well for a lack of better phrase, "in love with myself."
Now I am not saying that we can never use the word I, that would be ridiculous. What God has illuminated and convicted me of, is the danger of failing to recognize who I am in light of Christ and what God has called me to be and reflect.
Let me give you some food for thought here...when I am consumed with "I", I will always struggle to live out the biblical mandate of Phil. 2 which commands me to look out for the interest of others. Whenever I am locked in on "I", I will always struggle with Jesus challenge in John 13 when after He washed the disciples feet He said "go and do likewise." As a husband if I become blinded by the distortion of "I", then you better believe that I will also struggle to be the spiritual leader that Ephesians 5 commands me to be to my wife. If my heart becomes clouded and darken by the trappings of "I", then you can bet that I will never be the friend that God desires me to be to those in my circle of influence. You see whatever way you slice it, "I" can be a slippery and dangerous slope to self-destruction. I mean the Bible is pretty clear that "pride goes before destruction."
Being in ministry can be a double whammy...and as a pastor a constant chant should be no whammy, no whammy, no whammy, right, you maybe too young to remember that game show. Ministry puts a person in the lime light and in ministry you can easily become attracted to the praise of men, just being honest-it happens to the best of us. The danger is that the more you listen to the "press" of people's delusion of how great they think you are, you just may start believing it and once that happens, watch out. The next steps that follow are statements and beliefs like this ook at what "I" have done", that was an awesome sermon "I" preached, "I" built this church from nothing, "I" saved this number of people and so on and so on it goes. Now most pastors are good communicators so it may not be as blatant as I just described but if you listen close enough, it's there.
These are the some of the things that God has been convicting me and stripping me of. In short I am hearing God's small still voice shouting hey buddy "get rid of the "I" and remember who you are in light of who I AM. It has been a wonderful ride and I pray that God would keep His mighty hand on my heart and continue to purge my soul of this little destructive word "I".
Here are the "I"'s that God has been reacquainting me with...they are powerful. I encourage you to try them...
"I have sinned." 1 John 1:9
"I can do nothing apart from you, God." John 15:5
"I need you, God." Psalm 73:25-28
"I am wrecked!" Isaiah 6
"I am just a voice." John the Baptist John 1:23
"I press on towards Christ." Phil. 3:7-14
May our prayer echoes John the Baptist, may "I" decrease so that the Lord could increase in and through my life.
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