Day 26 – Active or Passive

“God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” Ephesians 1:12-14 NLT

The purpose of us tending and working where God positioned us is to bring praise and glory to His name. But there are times we passively or actively stand in God’s way, robbing Him of the glory belonging to Him – albeit this is mostly out of our ignorance.

Passively standing in God’s way is not participating in what God commanded you to do. It is that very moment when you throw your hands in the air saying, “You do You God” or choosing to abstain from certain duties in your ministry because things become too much or you are not satisfied with how it is going. This “Christian tantrum” robs God of the glory due to Him by neglecting to tend and work where you are called.

Actively standing in God’s way is when we stubbornly refuse to move to the next garden, vineyard, grove, or field. We say things like, “Over my dead body will I go there, or do this, or allow that.” from a stubborn heart, holding on so hard to what we believe God gave us as our ministry and forgetting the bigger picture of the fields of this world.

We should remember, as we grow spiritually or as our ministries grow, so does our responsibility as tenders. Ultimately, God will establish His plan. It is our choice to partner with Him or to stand in His way. His plan does not call for spectators but participants engaging with obedience, love, fellowship, and fruit-bearing to bring praise and glory to Him only.

Prayer: Father, please forgive us the times we passively or actively stood in the way of Your work and robbed You of the glory belonging only to You. Holy Spirit guides us to investigate our hearts to partner with You fully anywhere You place us. May we, as the Body of Christ, grow where You guide us instead of holding on to our stubbornness. Amen.