God Is at Work

I've been reading a wonderful little book during my quiet time entitled, "Humility," by C. J. Mahaney. One section of this book that really struck was entitled "God Is At Work." Here's the section:

The call of God in the lives of believers means that God has been at work in them, and the evidences of grace reveal that He is at work in the present. And we will motivate others by grace when we perceive where and how He is at work in their lives and humbly let them know.

They need to know because so often they're unaware. Too many Christians are more readily aware of the absence of God than they are of the presence of God, and they are more aware of sin than they are of grace. (emphasis mine- Les)

We motivate others by grace when we help them see this, and one of the greatest joys we can experience is when we watch them come to that awareness.

For too many, their understanding of God's activity has been reduced to the spectacular, and it appears to them that the spectacular is eomthing that happens only to someone else, never to them. That's why we need to study the broad work of the Spirit so we can recognize His activity in others' lives and can point it out to them. For example, some of the greatest manifestations of power I've seen are in individuals who suffer greatly and yet aren't complaining. That is spiritual power. I try to draw their attention to that, helping them understand that this response isn't simply their natural disposition or temperament---it's God's power in action! If He were not at work, no doubt they would be bitter and angry at God in their suffering.

Discovering God at work doesn't mean we deny or dismiss human responsibility. But we're to pursue that resonsibility in our own lives and teach and promote it to others precisely because God is working, just as Paul tells us: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13). This "fear and trembling" embraces the godly attitude of humility; it includes the fear of grieving and offending our holy gracious Father, and the awarenessof our ultimate accountability to Him. Our deliberate pursuit of obedience and growth in godliness isn't something we enter into with self-confidence, but as an expression of humble dependence upon the God who is actively working.

The phrase that struck me was "Too many Christians are more readily aware of the absence of God than they are of the presence of God, and they are more aware of sin than they are of grace. We need to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ by pointing out to them the ways in which God is present, active, and working their lives. O what grace infuses us every day and we are not even aware of it. Share the ways that God has manifested His grace on you. And help others to see the presence of God in their lives as well.