When God accepts service that we find inadequate
Posted at Reformation Scotland:
In one of his psalms, David expresses his longing to be upright, and free even from secret faults. But perhaps when we try to pray the same thing, it seems too much to ask, when our inadequacies and deficiencies are so many and so varied and so obvious. Obadiah Sedgwick, who contributed to the Westminster Assembly, was aware of this concern and offered various pieces of advice in response. In the following updated extract he goes into some detail on the thought that God accepts the weak services of His people because of His graciousness. The opposite of making us lax about serving Him, His readiness to accept our feeble efforts inspires the believer to greater dedication and diligence in His service.It should be a comfort to believers that God makes a gracious acceptance of their weak services.
Our service is our attempt to please God
Consider firstly that all our holy services are the tithes (as it were) of our graces, the rents of our helps, a certain homage which we bring in to God. They are expressions or actions by which we strive to bring God glory, and to please Him.
Our best service is imperfect
Consider, secondly, that the best services are imperfect. As no human does as much as he should, so the best Christian does nothing as well as he should. As the highest grace is still in defect, so the most solemn duties are still in default. Even the best in duty are like the moon, which, even at full moon, when it shines the most clearly, yet has its spots. So, even when the heart is most enlarged with intentions and heavenly affections, there is yet something contrary, or some shortness, some sort of blemish notwithstanding.
This is why, for example, Aaron was not only to bear the iniquities of the people, but also to bear the iniquity of the holy offerings (Exod. 28:38). What is done by a good man is not good; and even when he does much which God rewards, yet he does nothing so completely but God needs in something or other of it to pardon and cover. It’s not only that our sins accuse us, but there is some sinfulness in our best actions.
