A Humbled Heart

Psalm 51:16-17 (HCSB) ~

You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart."

"Make me your servant," is a prayer that I've uttered since I was a teenager.  I envisioned God using me in a mighty way and doing big things with my life.  But instead of the large and flashy, God chose me to serve Him in the small and unnoticed things.  That is not what I anticipated as a young girl, praying that prayer.

God works with the humble.  He often does His greatest work through avenues that go unnoticed.  He moves in quiet and unobtrusive ways and yet, we constantly strive for the loud and showy

We offer God our talent, our work, our personality or our good deeds and believe we are sacrificially giving to Him or worshiping Him. We say, "God, take my particular gift and use it for you." But much of the time, we are using it for our own glory or as a way to feel affirmed or get attention.

Yet, that is not what He wants at all. God desires the sacrifice of our selfish will and our self-importance. Without a right spirit, no sacrifice we offer is pleasing to Him.  I wish I could say I don't struggle with this, but I do at times. What I think is humility is more often pride in disguise. I want to feel valued and affirmed.  And when I'm not, I get my feelings hurt. This is something I have to constantly work through.

I truly want to come before God in humility.  I want to serve Him even in the small and unnoticed ways, and be content that I'm doing it for Him, even if no other person on this earth ever notices.  Because the Lord is looking for that kind of sacrifice.  The sacrifice that occurs in the quiet and unnoticed ways.

When I offer up my daily life as a sacrifice to Him with the right spirit, then He can truly work.  As I walk in obedience and do it purely for the joy of serving Him, my simple sacrifice will be used for His glory. 

And that is the reason we should do anything in this life; to bring glory and honor to the Lord. 

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) ~

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.