Outworking
Over breakfast this morning, Jean and I found ourselves discussing spiritual motivation and ministry. God works through us both in very different ways, but this isn’t unusual, as we are all unique human beings. We are called to conform in the area of character, but not personality, and certainly not in terms of the outworking of our spiritual motivation.
When asked what is the greatest commandment within the Old Testament law, Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4,5 and Leviticus 19:18, stated that we should love God with all of our being – heart, soul, mind and strength, and that we should love our neighbour as ourselves.
This must be our motivation as Christians – our love and service to others is the outworking of our love and dedication to God. It is for his glory that we serve, and that service is motivated by our wholehearted commitment to do his will.
A picture
In our conversation, Jean and I were discussing how God works through us, and acknowledged that whilst the outworking of this can be very different, the deep motivation within both of us is the same – to honour and serve God. As we talked, a picture came into my mind.
Firstly, this was of the arteries, veins and capillaries of our blood system, but then of a watercourse. As rainwater flows on the ground, it finds its own route, trickling hither and thither towards a lower elevation until eventually these tributaries join up to become a river and journey to the sea, or into a lake.
This is an example of how varying ministries work, each ‘watered’ by the Holy Spirit but flowing into different places before joining up to constitute the river of God’s Kingdom on earth.
The blood supply works in the opposite direction. Moved by the heart, the life-sustaining fluid reaches into the many different parts of the body, to members with distinct and quite different functions, but which together enable the complete organism to operate.
Unity amidst variety
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul speaks about the body being one whole, but having many distinct parts that work quite differently. He emphasises that each one, for instance, the eye and the hand, or the head and feet, cannot do without each other; every one is essential. Paul concludes by stating: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” [v 27]. We each need to learn from God what part of the organism we are, and how he intends us to function.
Immediately following his discourse about the body, Paul goes on to list a range of specific ministries that God has placed within the Church: apostles, prophets, teachers, etc., having earlier [v 4-7] referred to different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service and different kinds of working.
Each one reflects the ways in which God works in and through those who trust and obey him. We know that we are all different, and so does God – he created us after all! It is not his intention that we all function identically; that would not form the rich tapestry that reflects the nature of our creator. God rejoices in variety. One size doesn’t fit all – neither within those who have a heart to serve, nor those who receive their ministry.
Finding our way
Some are well aware of how God has gifted and uses them, while others remain uncertain and may be struggling to find their way. If you are floundering in this area, take heart. God is not wasteful and, if you are set on serving him and fulfilling his purposes, then he has the matter in hand and will reveal his plan in his good time.
Recognise too, that we don’t have to know the end from the beginning; we just need to be faithful as we take each step in obedience, following him as he leads us one day at a time.
The nature of streams
Returning to the water flow analogy, note that streams never flow upwards; we do well to avoid the temptation to try to make things happen. Also, for a stream to be a stream, it has to keep moving; if it stops still, it is liable to become a stagnant pool. If we are motivated by our love for God and are committed to his service to our ‘neighbour’, then by allowing the water to flow where it will, we can expect that God, in time, will make his gifting and calling apparent, confirming this through the witness of his Spirit in our hearts.
Quite early in my Christian journey, God showed me that trying to serve him in the way that I assumed I was supposed to wasn’t the way to blessing: neither fulfilment nor effectiveness. At the same time, I was convinced that he had a ministry for me to undertake.
Emerging clarity Although I have been wholeheartedly committed to his service ever since my salvation as a young man, it is only after several decades have passed that I have had clarity about how God works through me and how he wants to use me. But, those decades were certainly not wasted; not stagnant times. More to the point, God knew that the experiences of those many years were to equip me for the ministry that he had for me to undertake.