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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

OZ AND I: MUST-DO MOANING VS JUMPING WITH JOY


OZ AND I is a series related to the classic daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. Today’s post is based on his devotional for February 5.




This morning Oswald Chambers took out his mahogany ruler and whacked me over the knuckles. He wrote about sacrificing myself—without personal glory—so that God’s will might be done and He glorified through others.

Often a sacrificial need will fly up into my face swept along on a God-breathed wind. My first reaction is: Okay, I’ll help. But how will my helping affect ME?

In other words, how little can I put myself out in order to be helpful?

Fortunately, once I get over myself, then I help with a cheerful heart. But how I wish the cheerful heart showed up first, instead of last.

How I wish I didn't always first moan and complain before jumping into God’s plan with joy.

Today Oz took me a step further, asking: am I willing to sacrifice myself (my time, my efforts) for someone else even if it’s that other person who gets the glory?

Wait. Me help someone else get the kudos?

As a writer, I want to encourage other writers and help them make their projects the best they can be.

But helping people with their projects is a major time sink. An article may only take an hour or two, but helping develop a book or copy editing one can take 30 hours or more.

What about MY writing?

Sigh.

Several years ago, God whispered to my heart: You are in the writing business, Carol, not for your personal glory, but for mine.

What does it matter in the eternal scheme of things, whether God is glorified by my books or whether He is glorified by the books of people I have helped or encouraged in their projects?

It doesn’t. 

Today Oswald posed the question. Do I say:

“I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don’t want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, ‘Well done.’”

It’s tough, this humble servant stuff, isn’t it?

Then again, maybe “certain people” won’t be watching; but God will be. And if He’s the one saying, “Well done,” then who cares about the rest? Really.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me get over myself. Please remind me that your plan and your glory are more important than mine. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? In what area of your life might you need to get over yourself and work for God’s glory instead of your own?

3 comments:

Pam B. said...

God gave you the gift of mentoring, Carol, no doubt about it, and it is very much appreciated. Your mentoring results in a witness and living testimony for Jesus.

My first reaction when called on to help others also is "what?" I don't think I have a spontaneous bone in my body which means I want to look at every angle of the task at hand from the logistics to how much it will cost. This means it takes time for my enthusiasm to build. Still, God works with me and blesses me as I try to do what He puts in my path.

chris said...

Giving the glory to others instead of me is probably one of those daily battles.

btw, is it just a coincidence that there's a new OZ movie coming out?

From Carols Quill said...

@ Pam - "time for enthusiasm to build" - yes, that sounds like me, too. Fortunately God is patient until we "get there."

@ Chris - it is a battle, but God wins, so it's all good. Oz movie? Oh dear. I do hope they keep the "Wicked Witch is Dead" song...