 I don’t know about you, but I can get caught believing …Grace paves our way to heaven, so we don’t have to do anything. Recently, God’s been showing me just how much false teaching has been slipping into my thinking. In studying scripture, something I had never considered before was revealed to me…Jesus frequently asked people for things. It was like a light-bulb went off in my head and I started making the connection...
And I realized, Jesus didn’t just ask for tangible things, He also asked for our personal steps of faithfulness. I mean, Jesus is God incarnate, right? He could have done every miracle apart from us, but instead, more often, He chooses to connect the natural with the supernatural, the flawed with the forces of heaven, the faith with the Faithful One, so He could be glorified through us. Spiritual calls in Scripture include:
And although our salvation isn’t conditioned on what we do for God, like me, most can get deceived into thinking, we never need to sacrifice to experience the fullness of His Kingdom. When Jesus started His ministry, His first words were Him asking of two things from others, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) The word "repent" means to turn from our sin and go in a different direction. To "believe" means, "To lean your entire weight on Him." He is trustworthy. He is capable. He is holy. He is God. And yet, as missional woman it can be easy to get caught up in this idea that God has to do it all and we get to do nothing. And I have to admit, it can be so easy to get deceived into believing, when we seek to advance His Kingdom, “If it's difficult, something must not be from God, God must not be in it”. Yet, scripture teaches us to turn from our own self-reliance, repent, and lean completely on Him. And I want to have a relationship where there is mutual dialogue, two people talking, not some shallow relationship where I get to make all the requests, and He gets to ask nothing. As missional women, let’s turn from the wrong direction and lean solely on Him. Let’s go where He calls, listening when He speaks, and obeying whatever He asks... Regardless of feelings or what we might want. What might God be asking from you today? Will you listen and follow wherever He calls? About Jen Though born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right. Sharing this over at these awesome blogs.
10 Comments
10/12/2016 10:35:17 am
Enjoyed reading your post. :) Doing things is a response to our salvation; good works are prepared for every believer. I find it frustrating when other Christians tend to look upon walking in obedience as being legalistic. May we encourage one another toward love and good deeds! 10/12/2016 08:32:42 pm
Love this! Such a great observation I had never noticed before! 10/13/2016 05:14:09 am
I love how humble Jesus is, to invite us into the journey with Him. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post! I love this! Never thought of all the times Jesus asked for people to do things! Such a good reminder that after we begin a relationship with Him we need to listen closely for what He asks US to do. To think He asks nothing of us would be a wrong assumption and we would miss fantastic opportunities to give back to Him! 10/14/2016 12:57:29 pm
What a unique perspective! I have never thought of this before but you are so right. Thanks for sharing. 10/15/2016 11:43:36 pm
Hi Jen, 10/19/2016 12:23:04 pm
I so enjoyed reading this jam packed with truth post. I am grateful you took the time to write it. I needed the reminder too. I am in a place of learning how to balance work, rest and play - so it is really helpful to have these verses all lined up. It causes me to ponder and I will be praying too. Thank you! 10/20/2016 09:36:51 am
As someone who has a hard time asking others for help, I so appreciate this post. I honestly had never thought about this aspect of Jesus life- how he was repeatedly asking for help from others. Such a great example. Thank you! Leave a Reply. |
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