Working WITH God, Not FOR God

I was recently reading a daily devotional from, “My Utmost For His Hightest” by Oswald Chambers and I was deeply challenged. For the longest time my philosophy of ministry and life was to do work alongside others. To search out someone who has more experience and maturity then me and work alongside them, as well as invite those who have less experience and maturity to work alongside me. When we work together, alongside one another, we accomplish more then just the task. We gain three benefits. First, we accomplish the task often with a better final product. When you have two minds tackling the same problem they often see if from different angles and can fill in the blind spots of the other person. Sometimes, the process itself is harder because you must communicate and wait for the other, but in the end the product is better than if done solo. Second, we build relationships. When two people work side by side they inevitably build a relationship. As humans we were created to be in community, God said in the beginning, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen 2:18). Through that process of working together we find meaning, belonging, and love. Third, we set an example for others to follow. Not only does it call others out of isolation, but it pulls them out of self-justification. We cannot, by ourselves, ever do anything to make ourselves righteous. Creating a culture of community takes a long time to build and requires us all to set an example for others to follow. Now let's put it in the context of our relationship with God. Those three benefits listed above are multiplied exponentially with Him. On top of that, we are made righteous by God’s work within us. By the work done on the cross, and the presence of the Holy Spirit we are changed into disciples. The more we work with God, and trust His leadership and process, the opportunities to be changed into the likeness of Christ increase. I encourage all of you to practice working with one another, and with God. Stop trying to work for and apart from God. He is not your boss, He is our Loving Father. The more we practice the discipline of “with” the more you will experience the peace, love, grace, and presence of the Father. Jacob Bancroft [Read the devotional from My Utmost for His Highest Here: https://utmost.org/the-staggering-question]