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November 2, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe." John 4:48
There seems ingrained within our nature the attitude that we must "do" things in order to be accepted, to prove ourselves worthy, even to ourselves, that we have done something that should be commended by others. We find this same attitude in our spiritual journey. Someone has wisely said, "It is much easier to 'do' something than to trust in God. We would far rather work 'for' God than 'believe in Him.'" Whatever will redound to His glory must be what "He does through us," not what we do "for" Him in our strength. The focus of service and our walk must be redirected from all that "we" are, to all that HE IS. HE must be the source for all our endeavors.
The skeptics in the days of Christ sought for signs and wonders to establish their faith. Our faith cannot, and will not, be established by what we see or do. Our faith is not founded upon creeds, traditions, and customs, but the person of Jesus Christ. When evidence is present, faith is impossible. Our faith is not only generated by what Jesus says, but also in WHO HE IS. When we get lost in the wonder of His majesty, and live in the reality of a personal relationship with Almighty God, our faith will be enlarged and activated, established and secured, as we behold all that GOD IS.
This needs to characterize our service. When I was in the business world, I always told those who were my assistants..."You do not work 'for' me, you work 'with' me. We are bonded together to be successful in the work entrusted to us. The closer our bond, loyalty, and dedication, the more successful we will be." This is so true in our spiritual journey. God said, "I have chosen you." It is a constraint we cannot get away from. We are His--supernaturally born again by God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and entrusted to walk, live, and serve in the might of His power.
We have been drawn to Him by the supernatural grace of God; we can disobey His constraining tug upon our hearts, but we cannot initiate it. As we surrender to HIS control, we will discover that we are not in service "for" the Lord, but in service "with" Him. It will be a bond of love born of God, responded to through the penetration of His Spirit in our hearts, and made effective and fruitful by the Holy Spirit working through us. The service is now not one of "striving within" ourselves, but "resting in" the might of our all-sufficient Savior. The fruit is the result of "abiding in Him" who manifests His plan and purpose through us. The emphasis has turned from "doing" to "being." We often recognize as service to God "what we do" in our spiritual realm for God. Jesus recognizes service as "what we are to Him." Eternal fruitfulness is the natural outcome of our obedience to Christ. Behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God!
When we are reconciled to Him, He creates within us a new life. We now draw from the well that never runs dry. Our "doing" is now prefaced by unreserved commitment to HIM as the Lord of our life. We serve with renewed confidence in HIS leading, HIS power, and HIS sufficiency for every encounter. Our service then becomes the result of our intimate relationship with Christ, characterized by a walk of obedience!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-11-02&print=1
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