Doing the Work

A passive person lets life happen to them instead of taking hold of life. Being active in your growth is essential to change, growth, and getting results.

God is active: Activity is being energetically involved in an endeavor is part of who God is. God is constantly working on His own agenda and tasks. As Jesus said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working” (John 5:17). The Bible tells us God “rested” after He finished creation. The Hebrew word describing His rest is one that refers to completion, not weariness (Genesis 2:2). God never stops His active search to love and help those who want Him. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9). God takes the initiative to find and help those who love Him. Activity has to do with the “doing” parts of life as opposed to the “relating” parts. God constructed life to break down basically into those two tasks: work and love.

People are active: Adam and Eve were designed to relate deeply to God and to each other as well as rule and subdue the earth He assigned them. A good life always reflects both work and loving relationships. They are deeply connected emotionally and have jobs, ministries, and hobbies that make life fuller. Spiritual, relational people have meaningful, active lives of purpose.

Activity and love are intertwined: Relationship is not at all passive. Loving God and others is the basic purpose of any good activity. Love motivates to do activity because you want to, not because you have to. Love is the fuel of activity. Love is also purpose and goal of doing things. Be connected emotionally to safe people, open up to them, confess who you are, and receive and give truth and reality to them. Our most important and precious relationships are those in which we have invested a lot of energy.

Spiritual growth requires action: To grow spiritually does not just “happen” to us; it requires a great deal of effort but as we put the time into the process, we will see the fruit and results. This doesn’t mean that we must do it all on our own or that God does it all. Our sanctification is a collaborative effort between both God and us. We have certain tasks, and He has certain tasks including preparing our hearts, setting up the circumstances, and bringing forth results from the growth work. The Bible teaches this partnership this way: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). We work out our salvation, meaning we diligently execute our responsibilities in growth. All the while, in mysterious and often invisible ways, God works in us for His purpose.

Review your life and consider the times you were passive or fearful and missed opportunities God intended for you. Look at the reasons behind these and begin to work on them. What areas of your life may require additional focus and effort to get the results you desire?