From Nothing to Something!

Introduction

         In a previous message I penned how unworthy I felt before the Lord in view of His accepting and affirming me by imparting His salvation all because of what His Son, the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Jesus gave up His life so that I might know Him, be able to seek Him, serve Him, live for Him, and spend all eternity with Him after this life is done on this earthly plane.

         His suffering, crucifixion, blood stained cross, and resurrection is a testimony of his majestic love for me and His constant watching over me, leading me, and healing me.

 The Lord Jesus brings me from being a “nothing to being a something” before Him as I daily seek and walk with Him through the blessings, afflictions, and hard and difficult times, and yes, it also includes sufferings. 

To be honest with you, what I have found is that it is not easy walking the path of being a true, committed, and obedient disciple of Christ as well as a bold and witnessing Christian for the Master.  Most do not want to hear what Apostle Paul penned:

“For you have been granted

[the privilege]

for Christ’s sake

not only to believe in

(adhere to, rely on, and trust in)

 Him,

but also to suffer in His behalf.”

Comment: “to suffer” (Greek pascho/pathema - meaning to feel and experience hardship. Pain (emotional/physical, affliction, agony).

Philippians 1:29 (AMP)

Becoming a “nothing” for the Savior will often call for afflictions and sufferings for Christ for it can produce a cleansing, purging, and eradication of those things which offend Christ and the operation of the Holy Spirit in my life.  Apostle Peter also declared:

“But even in case

 you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,

 [you are] blessed

(happy, to be envied).

Do not dread or be afraid

of their threats,

nor be disturbed

by their opposition].”

1 Peter 3:14 (AMP)

In view of this, I felt led to pen what you will read below and allow me to repeat - of realizing I am “nothing” in the service of the Master (Christ Jesus) only to be made by Him as a “something” for Him.

Nothing to Something!

There came a time in my life where I needed a transformative revelation of my unworthiness before the Father and His Son.  There is nothing in and of myself that I have to offer the Lord.

When the Lord showed me through revelation my

“unworthiness before Him,”

my eyes were opened to

hidden pride,

 lack of trust in Him,

self-achieving,

 and

relying on my own

 intellect, strength, and power.

As a result of this revelation,

I began to see myself as really a  

"nobody," a "zero," an "unknown," 

a person without any

merit or righteousness

 or

any real worth on my own. 

All my religious works

(Soul power – flesh,

 not

Spiritual anointing - Holy Spirit generated)

for the Lord were of

no account which

 amounted to nothing

but

wood, hay, ands stubble

to be burned up in the end.

Apostle Paul said of the apostles…..

 "....we have become as

the scum of the world,

 the dregs of all things....”

(l Corinthians 4:13).

A little later he added to this by saying, "

“.....l am a nobody...."

(2 Corinthians 12:11).

As soon as I began to leave my

pedestal of self-elevation

and

 thinking I was somebody

and

God's gift to people,

I lower myself with the help of the Holy Spirit

to the depths of

humility

and

brokenness

where God begin to use me

in supernatural ways that I never dreamed possible.

Basically,

I came to the place of being

“unworthy”

(as mentioned in the former oracle)

 to serve the Master

 and

having no good in and of myself.

With this deep and abiding revelation of the Holy Spirit,

I could now identify with Apostle Paul,

“I am a nobody…….”

And

let me add,

stripped bare of the self-life

by the cross of suffering

and

death of Christ on the cross.

I have nothing to offer Christ

 no matter how smart I may think I am,

 no matter how gifted and talented I think I am,

no matter if I have lots of money or no money,

no matter if I have university degrees,

no matter if I have had a high position in my once chosen field of occupation,

or

 no matter how much people might pump me up

to believe I am really something.

Remember,

Apostle Paul,

God's right-hand man on earth during his time said,

"l am scum, I am a nobody."

The recognition of

my unworthiness and lowering myself to being

"a nothing"

 causes

God to begin to raise me up to be His

"something"

while at the same time I am continuously walking in

 brokenness and humility

 and

thinking I am really a

"big fat zero"

in the hand of our Father.

I cannot become God's

"something"

without first being

His

"nothing."

Being a

 "nothing"

comes before being a

"something”

 for the Master.

Being a

 "nothing"

for the Lord generates

His imparting faith

to my spirit to begin to walk

worthy of Him

whereby He releases

 revelations

to my heart and mind

 and

causing me to be

useful in His hand.

Again,

 the Apostle comments,

".....so that you would

walk worthy

of the God who calls you

into His own

kingdom and glory"

(1st Thessalonians 2:12)

And again, he says,

….."so that you will be considered

worthy 

of the

kingdom of God..."

(2 Thessalonians 1:5).

This living in a state of being a "nothing" – empty of self – self ways – self-promotion – self-religious works - and pride in self- achievement before the Lord is in spiritual reality,

.....a walk of worthiness of God and His kingdom.

It is a place a position for which Christ seeks in His disciples to work along side of Him in doing His call involving sharing His Word as well as expecting His supernatural affirmations to demonstrate and extend His Kingdom by sharing His anointed word with confirmations of the supernatural as He instructed in the Book of Mark, chapter 16. 

Observe carefully what Christ instructed His early disciples

and

His final-day disciples who earnestly and passionately

hungered and thirsted for Him.

“And they went out and preached everywhere,

while the

 Lord kept working with them

and

confirming the message

by the attesting signs and miracles

that closely accompanied [it]. Amen (so be it).” 

Mark 16:20 (AMP)

It is at this stage as His “nothing”

 (nothing to offer Him but my emptiness so He can fill me to become His “something”

that I enter His Kingdom

and

 glory while here on earth.

In other words, and allow me to repeat -

I can get a heavenly taste of His glory, power,

and

authority the more I see myself as

"nothing"

 in the hand of God

while He takes me

and

molds us into His

"something”

 as He did with Apostle Paul

 who gave up everything for Christ

and

 boldly declared,

“For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles,

who am

not fit 

or 

deserving

 to be called an apostle…..”

1 Corinthians 15:9 (AMP)

A little later he added to this by saying,

“.....l am a nobody...."

(2 Corinthians 12:11).

“…..I am the very least of all the saints

(God’s consecrated people),

this grace

(favor, privilege)

was granted

 and 

graciously entrusted:

to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending

(boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless)

riches of Christ

 [wealth which no human being could have searched out].”,

Ephesians 3:8 (AMP)

Apostle Paul had a divine revelation that…..

….he viewed himself as least worthy of all the apostles…..

…..he considered himself as a nobody….

….he accepted himself as the very least of all the saints….

…he saw himself as the scum of the world,

 the dregs of all things....

…..he accepted the fact that that

“Christ Jesus

 (the Messiah)

 came into the world to save sinners,

of whom

 I am foremost.”

1 Timothy 1:15 (AMP).

The apostle was broken by

Christ’s imparted revelation of being a

“nothing” to become a “something” for Christ.

This experience shifted the apostle's perspective

 from

self-importance to recognizing

in light of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection,

his need to walk

and

live in a continuous state of brokenness

and

a deep

 and

 abiding humility before Christ.

Only then could the apostle become a transformed individual

entrusted by the Lord to serve

as a leading apostle within the Kingdom of God

as well as becoming the

 greatest witness for Christ

 and

theologian of Christianity.

God help me to have further revelation on what you have given me in the above that

 “I may

may deeply know Christ,

to know the power of His resurrection,

to know the fellowship of His sufferings,

and

to be conformed to His death.”

(Philippians 3:10, NASB95)

As I finished the above, this came to mind.

O’ Lord God,

My Lord and Savior,

who is everything to me,

open my heart and eyes

to see your glory and majesty.

It is in your presence

 I love to be,

 where

my soul cries out to Thee –

keep me as a

 “nothing”

 for You to make me

Your

“something.”

As I stand in Your presence,

allow me to experience

Your embrace of Your

 wonderful

and

perfect grace.

For it is Your grace

that reaches down to

my wretched soul

and

continues to

show favor and love

as I grow old.

As I daily walk in steps of faith

I yearn to come to the place

of someday gazing

upon Your face.

To see You in all Your glory

love and power,

my heart beats

 to see You

at my appointed hour.

Like the elders before You

who throw down their

golden crowns

 at Your feet,

I think,

O Jesus,

what a

a treat to see.

With all the heavenly host

gathered to

 praise and worship

 You as the Christ and Creator

 of all eternity,

what a sight and sound

will be seen and heard.

And then Jesus speak to me:

Your walk on earth has been long,

but now you are with Me

where every day you will

be with the hosts of heaven

singing new songs.”

And to think,

my walk on earth as His

“nothing”

 has brought me

to this heavenly place

for Him to say,

“You have now become

My eternal

“something.”

May God bless all who read this oracle and become “nothing” for Him to make you a “something.”

Rich Arnold

Servant of the Lord

311 Adelaide Ave SW

Hartville, Ohio 44632

330-704-9306

richarnold3@gmail.com