The Kingdom of God is looking for workers. You see an ad: “Help wanted.” Not knowing what it is or what it entails, you apply. You’re called in for an interview. As you take your seat at the table with Jesus, you lay out your resume, your list of accomplishments, your past experiences, and your strengths. And to be completely transparent, you also have a list of your weaknesses. You’ve never seen all your credentials laid out and you’re feeling pretty good about yourself.
Jesus begins the interview with a few questions: “What do you love to do? What makes your heart joyful? Are you willing to do whatever is asked of you?” You wonder why He’s asking these questions when He hasn’t even looked at your resume. You answer them to the best of your ability. Oh Lord, I love people. I love to teach. I love to encourage people. I love to build things.
And then to your surprise, Jesus clears the table. He wipes all papers off the table and looks at you in the eye… “Let’s start over!” Jesus continues: “I brought you here today to see if you’re willing. All I want is your YES. Are you willing to put your YES on the table?” And then you reply, “But what if I can’t do what’s asked of me? What if it goes beyond my credentials? What if I fail?” Jesus then says, “Don’t worry about those things. I will lead you every step of the way. I will bring you help. I will never leave you alone. I will give you the abilities you need. Do you trust Me?”
This is a perfect example of what God wants from us. Nothing impresses Him… not our experiences, our credentials, our accomplishments. In fact, He doesn’t need us to work for Him because He is perfectly capable of doing everything on His own. But He chooses us to work alongside Him. He chooses His people to do His work. All He wants is our YES. This is called surrender. Our YES opens the door for Him to do in us what we cannot do in ourselves. Our YES trumps our weaknesses, our worries, our low self-esteem. When we put our YES on the table, a whole new world opens for us. Will you put your YES on the table today?