Jesus said:
My Father is always at his work
to this very day, and I too am working
(John 5:17). God is at work in every moment of every day you live. It takes faith to see His work.
Having just
returned from a mission trip, I am reminded again of how often God’s work
through our team is far from what I expected.
Working with Jesus is like that.
You feel the call to go where He leads; you plan what you think He wants
you to do. You only see His real work
while you are obeying.
Jesus was always surprising the
disciples with the meaning of His words and questions. The disciples discovered before we did that
often God’s work is far from what we expected it to be. Even after His resurrection, Jesus was
constantly showing up in places that took the disciples off guard. As you grow spiritually, you will become
comfortable with this way of recognizing God’s working through you.
Caussade
says: There is hardly a moment when God
does not approach us disguised as a challenge or responsibility. Our response to such opportunities includes
and obscures his activity. I have
learned to love working with God. He
doesn’t want me to be fully sufficient for the task ahead. He knows that I will grow more when I am
amazed or disappointed and still have faith that God is doing what He said He
would even if I can’t see all the reasons.
Paul shows me this attitude in Acts 26:28-29: Then Agrippa said to Paul, Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian? Paul replied, Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.
Paul’s
confidence that he had obeyed God and shared the gospel clearly to King Agrippa
was enough. He wasn’t sure who would
believe the message that God sent Jesus to pay for their sins and that their
response of faith would restore their souls with God eternally. He knew that someone would believe. He knew that King Agrippa had enough
knowledge of the message to make a decision of faith.
Paul had
faith to see God’s work in his life and in the lives of those he spoke to every
day. He didn’t focus on the chains he
was in and get depressed feeling God had abandoned him. Rather, he focused on the gift of God to
provide an opportunity to share the gospel with the highest court in Israel
and, ultimately, in Caesar’s court as well.
He could see God’s work through him, even if King Agrippa didn’t
proclaim his faith in God that day.
Every day
God is working. Every day God is giving
you opportunities to join in His work through your life experiences. Can you see them?
Copyright © 2014 Deborah R Newman
teatimeforyoursoul.com All Rights
Reserved.
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