Who's the boss?

“And we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Ministry is confusing. You can work and work and work and one day wake up realizing that you have done nothing of importance, nothing eternal. I am learning this lesson here, as one who loves to stay busy and works hard for the approval of others. A lot of days my work becomes my idol. I said this in a previous post, but I am not here in Africa to do work for God. I am here in Africa to do God’s work. So I am left to ponder, what does that truly mean?

I think the term missionary can carry a heavy burden. From a Christian point of view, I feel like there are certain “spiritual” acts that I must carry out. I must memorize the Bible. I must save so many people, or preach the Good News so many times, or even, I have to make sure that the children under my care are saved. But the truth is, that my work begins where God’s grace has laid the foundation. He does not need me. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God’s sovereign grace; my work as His disciple, is to disciple lives until they are wholly yielded to God. God has brought me to a standard of life by His grace, and I am responsible for reproducing that standard in others.

So what then is my responsibility? To fall deeply and madly in love with the One my soul longs for. Not to make a check list to work through, but to know Him so intimately that He is able to complete His work through me. I cannot choose to love God to the degree in which He deserves, but when His Spirit is having His way in me, I live according to His standard without knowing it. The springs of love are in God, not in me. It is not possible to find the love of God in my own heart, it is only there when it has been spread out by the Holy Spirit. If I try to prove how much I love Him, it is a sure sign that I do not love Him. It must come naturally carrying a little bit of spontaneity.

“The life of God manifests itself in this spontaneous way because the springs of love are in the Holy Ghost. (Rom. 5:5).” – Oswald Chambers