Brokenness, the Path to Gloryနမူနာ

Not Optional

Brokenness is not an optional experience for the person who desires God to use them in a mighty way.

Watchman Nee, the well-known Chinese Christian, in his book “The Normal Christian Life” said, “Anyone who serves God will discover sooner or later that the greatest hindrance to his work is not others, but himself”. It is our self-life, self-reliance, self-dependence, self-trust, self-sufficiency, self-love, and self-wisdom; these are great barriers to God’s supernatural power flowing through our lives.

John 12:23-28: “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’”

Jesus was about to die, and He was living out this principle: we must die before life can flow from us. Jesus made it clear that this is for all of us, not just for Him. The kernel of wheat contains life, but it is locked inside by a hard shell that must be broken before that life can produce a more glorious life. The Holy Spirit inside us cannot flow when we have locked Him inside of our hard shell of self-life.

God’s brokenness strategy for each of us is different because we are all unique, but it will inevitably involve failure, frustration, loss, setbacks, weakness, illness, heartache, disappointment, suffering, and pain. He is not trying to make us into something we are not. He is the one who gave us our personalities and temperament. Our weaknesses as followers of Christ are just strengths that are being misused.

The extent to which we will allow the cross to operate in our lives, to bring death to our own selfish ambitions, our ways, our rights, our reputation, our interests, determines the extent to which Christ’s life will be displayed through us.

Psalm 51:10-12:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.