God Does Not Bless What He Has Not Initiated
Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion, which can't be moved, but remains forever. — Psalms 125:1
Faithful is he who calls you, who will also do it. — 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: God does not want us to wear ourselves out in religious activism fueled by self-actualization, but to be wholehearted children who express the life of Christ and abide in Him. Although the desire to serve may be sincere, constant busyness can exhaust us and draw us away from the stillness in which we hear His voice. Like Mary at Jesus’ feet, we choose the better part rather than Martha’s agitation. It is not a matter of serving less and praying more, but of seeking God daily so that our works may arise from His heart. He works in us both to will and to act; apart from Christ, we can do nothing. As we rest in His presence, our service flows from His love rather than from our expectations.
God does not need men who wear themselves out for Him, but rather whole, mature sons who express and model the life and anointing of His Son Jesus with their entire being. There is nothing we can do for God and on His behalf that will satisfy our own expectations of serving Him. We will never be completely satisfied, and we will want to do more and more and more until we are swept into the whirlwind of a lifestyle that seeks to please God but unconsciously centers on self-fulfillment and eventually exhausts us. If salvation is by faith and we walk by faith, why do we strive to perform works instead of abiding in Christ, trusting in His power and divinity, and allowing Him to fulfill His role of shepherding our lives?
A few years ago, I read a delightful quotation. A well-known Christian author wrote in one of his works: it is good to spend oneself for God. I thought the expression was wonderful and even made it my own. I admit, with no small measure of shame, that I am among those criticized for wanting to do too many things for God. I am not, however, one of those who has neglected the spiritual areas that lead me into a more intimate relationship with Him; but in my eagerness to serve Him, perhaps I have been inconsistent in what truly endures: sitting at His feet, allowing Him, in the stillness of my heart, to minister to my spirit with His gentle voice, and trusting that He will accomplish all things. Do you remember the attitudes of Martha and Mary when Jesus visited them at their home in Bethany? Martha was worried and troubled as she served the Lord, while Mary delighted in the Word of God as she sat at His feet. The complete story is found in Luke 10:40–42, and we should reread it from time to time. I invite you to do so now, allowing God to speak to your heart and reveal this incredible spiritual truth to you.
The patterns of a Western culture busily pursuing success and personal fulfillment have also slipped into the church of Christ, and often, without realizing it, we find ourselves caught up in constant activity as though the new life in Christ, sacrificially won on the cross, would be lost if we stopped. This meditation does NOT suggest that we serve less and pray more, but rather that we seek God more each day so that our good works may be born in His heart and not in ours. A well-known theologian rightly stated: “God does not bless what He has not initiated.” He is the source who works in His children both the desire and the ability to act according to His good pleasure. It does suggest—and now I am ministering to myself as well—that we heed the Lord’s invitation to abide in Him, because apart from Him nothing can be done. The key is to abide in His very essence, and then our good works will not spring from our pure and sincere eagerness to serve Him or from a desire for self-fulfillment in the Christian life, but from the delightful imprint of His presence within us, from the monolithic unity we form in Him, from the unmistakable call of His gentle love.
Let us seek fresh times of spiritual refreshment in the company of the eternal Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord. There is no greater delight than resting at His feet—the place He prefers us to choose so that we may receive firsthand the good portion that will never be taken away from us.
God bless you!