“God works in our working.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 48). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

So, let’s clarify what he means.

Matt says, “It would be a mistake to conclude that since God ultimately gets us unstuck, we should not take action ourselves.”

He goes on, “Sometimes, there literally is nothing we can do but wait. In those cases, waiting is what we must do. But when there is something we can do, we are to do it. Not as a substitute for prayer but flowing out of our prayers… We do not stop working because God is working, and neither does God stop working because we are working. Rather, God works in our working. His work is first, but we are to take action to do what is in our power. Then we can rest, knowing that the results are left to God.

“Martin Luther captured this perfectly: ‘Work and let him give the fruits therefore! Rule, and let him prosper it! Battle, and let him give victory! Preach, and let him make hearts devout!’ This is why I have often said that one of the big mistakes we’ve made as Christians is taking a merely devotional approach to productivity. We have often thought that building emotional fervency and comfort is enough. But that by itself is a passive approach. Biblical spirituality is active. We are to run (1 Cor. 9:24, 26; Heb. 12:1), labor (1 Cor. 15:10), press on (Phil. 3:14), work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12–13), strive (Col. 1:29), and pursue righteousness (2 Tim. 2:22).”

He later says, “Another mistake we often make as Christians when we see people stuck is that we tend to assume laziness too quickly.

“When we see someone struggling with their productivity, we may assume they aren’t working hard enough or that they can just fix the problem by deciding to. We hear this type of thinking in phrases like this: ‘If it really matters to you, you will do it,’ and ‘People find time for what really matters to them.’

“I call this the willpower fallacy. Such thinking assumes that change can be made simply by deciding to make change. It fails to recognize that often the causes of the challenge are complex, and that change needs to be grown instead of installed.”

And this can be where grace and understanding intersect in our looking at others, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!

Comments

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog