LET US WORK WITH GOD
AND NOT ONLY FOR HIM
BY DEON KOEGLENBERG
There are many Christians today who are working for God. Their work is only to boast in what they can do for God, and what they can do for their church. Now please understand there is nothing wrong with that as such, but my friend let me make it very clear, it is not what we can do for God or what we can do for our church that counts, but to work with God is what counts. To work with Him and let Him have His way, is what counts.
So many Christians today are working very hard to please their minister or their church and within their heart there is just no joy and happiness towards God. It is as we work with God that we will ever be aware of His presence. How ever, to work with God sometimes cost some sacrifice. We have to give up some of out time, our money and our self. `Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [daily] and follow me, [Matthew 16v24 KJV]. To work with God will mean some soul searching, some fasting and lots of praying. In short it will mean spending some more time with God, on our knees. It should be our desire to work with God because Jesus said, `He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad` [Matthew 12v30 KJV].
Our prayer should be: “O God please help me to work with you so that I don’t rely on my own wisdom and understanding or even my own strength. Not my will be done but Thine!!!”
Jesus said, `Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in Me. [John 1v1 KJV]. How many of us Christians have troubled hearts today? Don’t you think the reason is that we are not completely in Christ? That we are not waiting on God but just doing our own thing! Don’t we consult God when it is rather late? He should be first in all our Christian lives. We say, Lord please undertake and then instead of just leaving it in His hands, we start to have troubled hearts. No faith in what we prayed for and no faith in God Almighty. Not having the faith that we must sit back, relax and let God do it for us.
“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you [v2].” Isn’t that wonderful child of God? That should be enough to make us shout and sing. My fellow follower of Christ, are you looking to that day when Jesus will welcome you home to that mansion that He has gone to prepare? It is more than a house my brother and sister, Jesus said a mansion. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also [v3].” Who today can say, “I am a child of God”, and have no longing to be with Jesus?
If we say we have no longing, we cannot love Jesus. Those who belong to Him are all looking forward to that day when Jesus comes to receive us unto Himself. God’s children long to be with Him. From that day on there will be no more troubles, no more temptations, no more sickness, no more worries. That will be the day when we reach that mansion prepared for us.
Jesus went on to say, “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know [v4].” Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not wither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” [v5]. Even today many people, when you ask them, “Are you a child of God?” will answer ‘Yes.’ But when you ask them where they are going, they cannot say. Thomas said, “Lord we don’t know where You are going.” Why did Thomas say that? The reason, my friend is that Thomas wasn’t sure. We have to be sure, we cannot take chances.
There are those who hide behind others when they have to admit their own wrongs, when they should depend on God. No, they would rather hide behind parents, work, teachers, circumstances, friends, family or doctor. Sometimes they even hide behind their minister or pastor. Let me encourage you my friend, do not hide any longer behind others but turn your eyes to Jesus. Serve God with all your heart. Lat each one of us turn away from sin, look neither left or right, but look to Jesus. Parents, brothers, sisters, family and even your minister can disappoint you, and shock you, but Jesus never. Rather let us pray for the one we see doing wrong. Ask God to open his\her eyes as He opened the eyes of Thomas.
When Jesus answered Thomas, “He said unto him, I am the way the, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” [v6].
Jesus was saying to Thomas that he was looking to much at the reasons and looking to much at his fellow disciples, he was looking to much at the why’s and where’s, but the time had come for Thomas to learn to know and love Jesus himself. Thomas, I am the Truth, don’t look for it in any other, Thomas I am the Way, Thomas you are trying to many other ways. Also Thomas, I am the Life, there is no other life beside me worth seeking. Isn’t that the thing you want most in your life? Isn’t that what you are longing for? Thomas you don’t have to look for it anywhere else, just love Me.
Dear friend and fellow pilgrim, God is saying to you today, stop looking for the why’s and where’s, stop looking at one another, just look at Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Put your trust in Me. Serve Me at all times. LET US WORK TOGETHER, SAYS JESUS!!!
