Receive What is Given
Brothers and Sisters,
There are so many needful things, all demanding our attention. We ask ourselves, “Does God not hear them?” We know He does. Still, if we’re going to cast ourselves into the fray, it helps to know whether we’re in the right “fray.”
You or I may pray, “Bless Your work.” But if we are in the wrong place or at the wrong time, or doing the wrong thing, then we will find ourselves frustrated, waiting on God’s blessing that won’t come. It’s not a matter of doing “good things” or even “great things,” rather it is a matter of doing the “right things.” How else can Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
From my walk with Jesus, the only works that will hold up under God’s inspection are those assignments He gave me and those I completed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said, “…A person can receive only what is given them from heaven...’” (John 3:27)
Receive What is Given
Take a moment, put on your “quality inspector’s hat” and inspect the work you’ve done. Will it withstand our Lord’s scrutiny? I know that many of the works for which I’ve been commended are just chaff that will burn up. Many of my accomplishments, which I hold dear, will not survive the fire of God. Thankfully, there were times when I didn’t hinder Jesus.
There have been times when a garden of peace sprang up from the work Christ gave me to do. And I’ve received a phone call from a long-forgotten workmate, telling me they've finally accepted Jesus as their Savior. These will withstand God’s inspection. (1 Corinthians 3:12-14)
“A person can receive only what is given to them.” It’s fruitless to frenetically try to create a ministry. Rather, we must walk in the Spirit, and then we will receive the assignments which Jesus calls us to. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13)
Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian survivor of the Holocaust, Hitler’s “final solution,” had this to say about working for Jesus:
“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” - Corrie Ten Boom
No assignment is too small. A smile to the person working the drive-up window, a pleasant comment about a bamboo plant sitting on a person’s desk, a positive comment during a tense conversation. These come from the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and are as vital as organizing a church banquet.
It is never about big or small, but only about obedience.
Blessings,
Gary
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash