The Greatest Thing I've Learned About Serving God

God doesn't need me.  He doesn't need my hands to do his work, He doesn't need my lips to speak His words.  He doesn't need my ideas or my opinions or my abilities or my talents to accomplish what He wants to accomplish.  He doesn't need me at all.

I have such a burning desire to serve the Lord - such an overwhelming desire to accomplish things for Him, that I often stand in the way of Him using me at all.  All too often, I say to Him:

"Lord, I'm going to do this thing for You!  I'm going to bring glory and honor to Your name, and people will see how great You are because of what I'm going to do!"

And then I fall flat on my face.  Sometimes I experience a measure of success before I fall flat on my face.  Sometimes I even feel like I've accomplished something great, and then down the road I realize I still fell flat on my face.  But always, when I'm doing something "for" God, my own way, using my own ideas and relying on my own strength, I eventually fall flat on my face.  Always.

Why?  Honestly?  God's got plenty of do-gooders out there.  Plenty of people ready and willing to set out and take action in His name, often with the best of intentions.  What He doesn't have, though, is an abundance of listeners.  Of people willing to do whatever He asks of them.  I, for one, get so caught up sometimes in wanting to do things for God, that I forget to talk with Him, sit back, and listen to what He has to say.  What does He want me to do?

The real question is not "What can I do for God?",
                               
                                 but "What will God do through me...if I let Him?"

So...the greatest thing I've learned about serving God?  He doesn't need me.  Doesn't need my silly little attempts to serve Him.  But He will use me.  All I have to do is listen...and be willing...regardless of what He asks of me.