“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8)

If you want to be an ambassador for Christ, here’s what you can expect. First, you must submit unconditionally to God. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:7-10). 

 Second, God will expose the motivations of your heart. If God is going to use you to minister to His people, He must show you your character, “piercing even to the division of soul and spirit ...there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). 

 Third, you will increasingly rely on the Holy Spirit. The joy of being used by God will gradually be replaced with a moment-by- oment realization that you’re not able to do anything apart from immediate grace. “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). 

 The fuller a vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they’re untried; but the earnest worker soon learns his weakness. If you want to feel utterly powerless apart from the Holy Spirit, try proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you’ll know, what a weak unworthy thing you are. Follow Paul’s example: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:2-4).