COMPETENT BUT USELESS

COMPETENT BUT USELESS  

“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you"-John 15:1,2 & 16 (MSG) 

An elderly woman who was blind and could neither read nor write became a Christian. In order to share her new found faith with others, she went to the missionary and asked for a copy of the Bible. When she got it, she asked the missionary to underline John 3:16 in red and mark the page it was on so she could find it. The missionary wanted to see what she would do, so one day he followed her. In the afternoon, just before school let out, she made her way to the front door. As the boys came out when school was dismissed, she would stop one and ask if he knew how to read. When he said “Yes” she would ask him to read the verse that was marked in red. Then she would ask, “Do you know what this means?” and tell him about Christ. Eventually, twenty-four of the school boys that woman led to the Lord became pastors. (Source: The Supremacy of Christ, R. Kent Hughes)

One salient truth that the above story reinforces is that God can engage the available feeble hands when the competent ones are not available for His use. Heaven places huge premium on availability over competence and whatsoever is not available for God can never be useful  to Him (1 Corinthians 1:27, Luke 19:40). And by implication, everything that is not useful to God will become totally useless (John 15:2).

Beloved, there are many "Competent But Useless" Christians in the kingdom today. They have many excuses for not preaching the gospel. The plight of the lost souls around them does not prick their conscience. Despite their competence, heaven cannot account for a handful of souls that have been added to the fold through them. Obviously, they have nothing tangible to show for the number of years they had been saved. They are nothing but bunch of "Competent But Useless Christians" in the vineyard. Hope you are not one of them? 

On the other hand, there are a few believers who are not too competent but are available and extremely useful in God's hands. Like the old woman in the above story, they love God passionately and are addicted soul winners, givers and prayer warriors. While others are busy cracking dirty jokes and gossiping,  they are prayerfully looking for opportunity to  share the Gospel.  While everyone is hustling for juicy positions, their heart cry is "Lord, please send me to someone who needs to be saved today". While others are dodging evangelism or Let's Go A Fishing programmes, they will arrive at the venue of the programme hours before others to prayerfully prepare the ground for bountiful harvest. While others are criticising their pastors, ministers and HODs, they are secretly pleading with God to turn their weakness or incompetency around and use them mightily to win souls into His Kingdom.  

Friends, which of these categories do you belong to? Are you among the "Competent But Useless Believers"  or the " Available And Useful Believers" in town? What is your excuse for being useless, when staunch illiterates are useful to God? When the blind and lame are available and relevent for the Master's use, then, what is your own excuse? Are you not ashamed of yourself? Have you forgotten what God planned to do with all "Competent but Useless or Unproductive Believers" in the church. They will soon be eliminated, evicted or deleted from the Vine (John 15:2). What a verdict! Are you not terrified by that statement? How I wish your name is not on the list of Useless Christian in His Church?  Unfortunately,  many believers names are on that terrible list. Why not repent today and plead for mercy. Then, ask for grace to be available and useful to God till Christ returns.  

One special hymn that should be our watchword as the coming of our Saviour draws near is titled "Take My Life And Let It Be". Stanza three of this hymn re-echoes the heart cry of all feeble but available and passionate soul winners like that old woman above.  May I urge you to please to prayerfully meditate on the lyrics of this  powerful hymn below and trust God to make you more useful and productive in His kingdom till He comes . 

TAKE  MY LIFE  AND LET IT BE  By Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we shall remain useful and relevant in God's agenda. We shall receive grace to completely surrender our hearts, intellect, voices, resources to Him for the end time harvest. God will engage our feeble voices and available hands to rescue many drowning souls from the sea of this wicked world before the sound of the trumpet. And finally, when the great rescue operation is over, may we never hear "I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" in Jesus name (Matthew 7:23).

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, I want to invite you to the September 2019 Holy Ghost service. Date: Friday- September 6th,  2019. Theme: Lifted Into Glory Time: 7pm (Nigerian Time). Venue: Redemption Camp, Km 46 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Nigeria.  Ministering: Our beloved Daddy G.O - Pastor E.A Adeboye and other anointed Ministers of God.

Good morning and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -
http:// okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com
Twitter: @tammytaiwo
Instagram: @lawontaiwo
Facebook: Okanlawon Taiwo