Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."
Utmost, April 23rd
1 comment:
I really like his words about being devoted to your co-worker (God) and think it provides a stronger basis for the idea of 'enjoying God' than simply focussing on the 'bare' character of God - in the sense that, as mirrored in human relationships, closeness and trust and admiration and love etc all grow better when we are mutually-engaged in some project or task or venture.
And that isn't a pragmatic approach to devotion to God, it's rooted in (i)the fact that he is the God who acts, continually; his being isn't separate from his acts and (ii) the contexts in which Jesus expressed delight in his Father: their mutual service.
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