Activities Worth Doing

S - "King Agrippa, one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests. About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me. We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It's foolish to kick against the spurs! “Who are you?” I asked. Then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to. Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have experienced and what I will show you later." The Lord also said, “I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to. I want you to open their eyes, so they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. They will receive freedom from sins and share the blessings of those who are being changed by relying on me.” Acts 26 TS

O -  The telling, the opening of blind eyes and the turning from Satan to God are NOT activities heaven needs us to do. Heaven is very capable of doing this without any human assistance (as demonstrated by the events on the road to Damascus). These are activities that humans are invited to do with God — the God who, according to Jesus, is always at work and always working everything for good. He has no trouble getting done whatever he wishes all on his own (cf. Acts 17:24-25). Heaven is the major player and is not restricted by having to engage humans to fulfill its intensions. Humans are invited to work with him not for him. It is work he’s already doing. Not only so, these activities CANNOT be done without direct participation by God. The point is working together with him not getting some goal accomplished for him.  It is a cooperation of heaven and earth; a cooperation which results in freedom, blessing and transformation by relying on him.

A - It is such a beautiful and pleasant reality … we don't shoulder the weight of the world nor the burden of the souls of others.  He shoulders all of this and invites us/me to work with him in that which he is already doing.  With all the things that heaven intends to be done on earth there is only one thing the Lord is relying on us for.  He's relying on us to rely on him for everything.  This is the narrow door. It is how Jesus lived each day on earth (John 5:19; Philippians 2:5-11) and how he wants us to live each day too. The point of the invitation to engage heaven's activities isn't us getting something done.  It is being together with him in the work he is already doing. 

P - Lord of Heaven and of Earth,

I am so grateful to be with in and involved in a gentle yoke and light burden. I want to learn the ways of working with you not for you; living in you not to you.  I accept the assignment to rely on you for everything … unto the freedom, blessing and ongoing transformation you intend.

I will live and pray in Jesus and his name,

Steve