Spiritual Resumé
By Elin Henderson
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable act of service.”
Romans 12:1 (NKJV)
If you had to hand in a “Spiritual Resumé” to God, what would it look like? What should it include? Let’s think…name, date of salvation, service (type and years of), gifts, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, history of your walk with Him and of course a list of why He should hire you, right?By Elin Henderson
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable act of service.”
Romans 12:1 (NKJV)
I can see myself writing a flourishing report of my years of service, my faithful walk, my wonderful gifts, etc. then confidently handing it over to the Lord knowing that He has just found Himself one great servant! How has He been doing it all without me? I will be a great addition to His team!
While all of these things are good, there is one that is far superior. Our experiences and our “spiritual walk” over the years can and do give us wisdom and maturity, but if we rely on that, we set ourselves up for pride’s fall. Thirty years of faithful service and walking with Him do not guarantee that tomorrow I won’t fall into serious sin. Most of the time, our accomplishments will hinder rather than help us. Our flesh and pride are unable to lay them aside…preferring to open them up for all to see and relive the glory days. How we love to write and flash about our resumés.
So, before we start hauling out our lists of accomplishments and expounding on our many gifts and abilities, perhaps we should stop and consider the following: Where am I at today? Am I available? What kind of resume do you think the Lord is looking for? Glowing lists? Or, a giant bold stamp covering it all that says “AVAILABLE”?
May that be our utmost goal as we present ourselves as servants to Him!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Has the Lord been calling you to any specific task or ministry? What kind of needs do you see around you? Can you identify where the Lord is using you, maybe even beyond your skills or gifts? Step out in faith. Hand in your resumé stamped, “Available!” and see where it leads you.
FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 6:7; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 12:28
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and seven-year-old Elias.
