God Is At Work Through Us When We’re At Work For Him

PURPOSE is big on everyone’s agenda, yet it’s bigger on some people’s than it is on others. If you’re someone who’s constantly driving forward on a pilgrimage of purpose, compelled through the maze toward meaning, then this article might be helpful.

One thing I learned from a pastoral mentor, a good old-fashioned supervisor, was this elementary truth: what might seem basic, or easy, or what can be done nonchalantly, is not necessarily insignificant. These following thoughts are my reflections on that kernel of an idea — what seems basic is not necessarily insignificant.

What seems easy to us, perhaps what we’ve honed into an art form over many years of practice, may be mastery to others; mastery they marvel at. They receive so much more at times than we expected to give them. God makes us feel blessed, yet we may scratch our heads… “I didn’t do much.”

But there’s a second truth latticed into the first: what might seem basic, plainly ordinary, involves also the Holy Spirit.

God is at work when we’re at work for him. Trust his Holy Spirit to do something surprising, unexpected; miraculous. God works ceaselessly, yet with such peace that his loving creativity is pure divine joy. God works always, yet he works as if he were resting. Love is pure joy.

So, when we come to the truth of God’s work in the work we do for him, we acknowledge that he knows what the other person or people need; those needs we can know nothing truly about. This is why we can preach a sermon and someone can be blessed by what we did not say. The Holy Spirit took our bidding and made it his own — what a blessing that is for all parties!

What we do in our proud moments — to downplay what is significant as insignificant — because it seems so basic and uninteresting — is we don’t acknowledge the role the Holy Spirit plays.

What a wonderful thing it is to do something kind for a person, something rather easy that blesses them. Such a kindness is a blessing to them, but it boomerangs back to us as well. We, too, are blessed.

The Holy Spirit is engaged whenever we begin to do God’s work. He makes the simplicity of what we do into something elegant in another person’s life.

The Holy Spirit, alone, God’s Spirit of Jesus, is to be praised when he makes what is so simple into a blessing.

God is at work through us when we’re at work for him.

Likewise, God is at work in us when we’re at work for him.

Nothing we do for God is ever insignificant.

© 2015 Steve Wickham.