SHOULD I, OR SHOULDN'T I?
Perhaps some of the most resonating words in my recent Bible reading come from the very mouth of Jesus himself in John four verse 34. He says to His disciples, “I have a kind of food that you know nothing about. My nourishment comes from doing the Will of God who has sent me, and from finishing His work.”
We live in a generation that is depleted, tired, empty, longing.
We live in the generation that is incessantly asking the questions, “Should I do this or should I not do this? How will it impact my life? How will it impact my family, my health, my mental health, my finances, my future?”
I have found one thing to be true when it comes to the existence I have the privilege to experience on this side of eternity:
I feel fully alive when I’m doing the Will of God.
It was our beautiful Jesus who modelled for us that self-preservation was not the goal of this life. If it were the goal He most certainly would not have gone to the cross for us. No, it was our beautiful Jesus who modelled for us that self-sacrifice was the goal of life on this side of eternity.
I must be honest with you, my friends and readers, it is only when I stop and ask the self-preserving questions that I begin to feel tired and worn out and depleted.
When my gaze turns inward my strength declines.
The dimension of self is insatiable.
Contrary to logic, self-service is a tiresome and vain endeavour.
When I fix my eyes on the great cause and the compelling call; when I incline my ear to the voice of Heaven and hear it ringing in my Spirit, I am filled again, nourished again, moved again, empowered again.
Many people ask me, “How?” I too have asked the “How?” question of those who seem to have an endless capacity. Their answer, and the answer I have learned through the experience of trial and error, is that
Grace has an unexplainable rhythm and unlocks capacity and ease beyond human reason or ability.
The Kingdom is a work, but it is a work empowered by the Spirit of God. Divine capacity is a supernatural work. The rhythms are supernatural. That’s why the world does not understand.
Our nourishment comes from doing the Will of the Father and finishing the work that He calls us to. We will continually feel depleted, tired, resentful and empty while we are seeking to satisfy our own motives, our own comforts, and our own agendas.
And what is this work that He speaks of? Jesus answers that mystery in the very next passage. He speaks of a harvest that is ready and ripe; and the great joy it is to bring a person to salvation. The work is the privilege of harvesting in the field of the Kingdom of God – being a part of somebody else’s salvation experience. He speaks of the great pleasure and honour it is to see a soul come to find God.
Perhaps this is the re-invigoration our souls so desperately need.
If there were ever a generation who needed more of Jesus shown to them, brought to them, ministered to them, ours would be that generation.
It was Jesus Himself who lovingly implored those of us who were tired and burned out come to Him and work with Him. He promised to show us how to take a real rest. “I’ll show you how to learn the unforced rhythms of grace,” He said.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11: 28-30 (MSG)
It’s interesting that He didn’t say, “Come to me and kick back, put your feet up and self-gratify.” He said, “Come to me, walk with me and work with me.”
The Kingdom of God is a work and it is the most stunning and mysterious of all works.
Friends, while it is indeed a work, it is energising, nourishing and satisfying all the same; because it is what we were designed for.
Notably, Jesus also modelled for us times of retreat – moments of solitude and prayer. Times of feasting and celebration and quality time spent with loved ones. These are Spiritual Disciplines of the highest value. If you know me, you know I hold the disciplines of Biblical rest, sabbath and celebration in high esteem. I only wonder, in all our searching for self-fulfilment just how much “work of the father” is continuing. How many of us are still doing the work of the Father as a priority, as a calling and a privilege?
It is our Jesus who has a kind of food that the world does not know about.
It is Jesus who gives a water to quench the insatiable thirst of the soul.
While the world tries to fill its hunger and to satisfy its thirst with all kinds of things, our generation is left wanting and parched. Furthermore, what a shame it is when this deception creeps into the church as well. Afraid to step out on a limb in faith. Cautious to extend into the unknown. Hesitation motivated by the ugliness of self-preservation. In essence, a type of disobedience masquerading as wisdom, and costing us our portion in the Lord. Should it be time to connect the dots?
Truly it is the unseen and unknown realm that requires faith, obedience and abandon. Truly it is the unseen realm, which supplies food and water for the Spirit and the soul. It is in the Will of God that we find nourishment.
Many Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the faith abound throughout the Scriptures with their compelling testimonies of faith extended beyond human reason. Their lives tutor us in the Spirit’s answer to the question of, “How?”
They humbly discovered that the answer to, “How?” is, “YES!”
The way to be filled is to become empty. The way to find life is to give it away.
Yes, my dear friends and readers, I can say now that I’m only ever fully alive, I’m only ever fully strong, I am only ever fully satisfied when I am doing the Will of the father.
Perhaps you’ve asked that question, “Should I or shouldn’t I?”
Allow your hunger to take you to Him. Allow your thirst to draw from His well.
Don’t be lured by the wisdom of the world or the deceits of the flesh. But go to Him. He’ll show you how to take a real rest and I guarantee you it won’t look the way you thought it would.
