In the widely used curriculum Experiencing God, authors Henry Blackaby and Claude King emphasize seven realities of experiencing God. The third of these is: “God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.”
There is an important distinction made here that we dare not miss: The work is God’s. He initiates it. He calls us to join Him, not the other way around. It is important that we get this right for a few reasons:
- It humbles us when we acknowledge that nothing begins with us and everything—of kingdom worth—begins with Him. This humble approach cultivates in us a humble heart—the very thing we need if we are to do His work in His way.
- Because it is God’s work that we are doing, we can trust Him for the resources, strength, and wisdom to do it. As the 19th-century missionary Hudson Taylor said, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
To be invited by God to join Him in His work is to encounter His grace and to enjoy a greater sense of His presence. Answering Him with a yes, whether to a quickly completed task or to a lifetime assignment, is to step forward into the abundant life.
“I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.”
(John 10:10 ESV)