I love this saying, “Jesus calls us to be with Him, not to work for Him.”
That bothers me, I have a bazillion objections already. Like, “faith without works is dead!” But there is stuff that needs to get done! Nobody else is going to do it! What am I supposed to do, just sit here and do nothing?
Jesus calls us to be with Him. We people tend to be all about fixing stuff, doing stuff, producing stuff, as if we now get to show how much good work we do for the Lord, how invaluable we are. Chuckling here, and I shall spare you all the links, but those busy trying to prove how virtuous and good they are, are all over twitter and FB, and they’re downright ugly. Ugly, I tell ya! U-g-l-y.
That’s because our own works are always based on scarcity and fear. I do everything around here and nobody appreciates me, and everything threatens me, and nobody else is doing anything right! If you loved the Lord like I do, which obviously you don’t since there can be only one pretty princess in this story…..
Some of those princesses have beards, too. Just saying.
I don’t want to squash that enthusiasm, that joy that comes from service, that sense of being driven, of accomplishment, because those can be beautiful things, I am just saying that Jesus calls us to be with Him. To rest at His feet. To abide in Him. To have a relationship with Him. To receive His love. To heal in Him. To be dependent on Him.
In the Bible Jesus tells Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” He also tells Martha who objects to Mary not helping her, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Rest at His feet, early and often. Let Him wash you.
The very best witnesses for Jesus are those who are simply about the business of being with Him. Being with Him is the precise opposite of scarcity and fear, the opposite of comparison and condemnation. The fruit of that relationship shows, it has a tangible evidence to it, it makes all the difference in the world.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
See, there's this thing called biology... 
I love the way you word things. I never thought of myself as the “pretty princess,” but I guess I tried to be for years.
Early in our empty nest years, when I had just retired, I realized I was going to have LOTS more time to serve the Lord. I also knew I had a tendency to overcommit, resulting in exhaustion, burnout, and sickness, which meant I then couldn’t serve Him well at all! I prayed about what He would have me do now (the emphasis on “do” >sigh<), and the next morning I woke up with a song playing in my head. It wasn't a Christian song, or one I knew the words to. It was a gorgeous song from "Phantom of the Opera," and the only line I knew was "Love me, that's all I ask of you." So I spent a lot of time in Mary mode before kicking into Martha mode, and limited my activities to what I was reasonably certain God wanted me to do. Not sure I'm still doing that …
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Oh, how beautiful! I love how the Lord speaks to us, and can even use things like that Phantom of the Opera song to remind us of His truths, to encourage us. I definitely sense the Lord limiting my activities sometimes, and I’ve learned to listen to Him. Often He’s got a plan and a purpose going on and my eagerness to help or to get involved, can sometimes interfere. I remember a kid “helping” me out in the kitchen once and deciding we need more cinnamon, like let’s just dump in the whole bottle. That’s me sometimes, I’m that kid. 🙂
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Powerful message!
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Good thoughts, IB. As I read, I realized, I think this is one of those both/and issues. I can’t remember where, but I just recently heard someone explain how we don’t work for salvation but we work after salvation, meaning that our relationship with God enables us to love and serve others. It never ceases to amaze me that God wants to use us in His world—in whatever capacity. Worshipers, yes, but also ambassadors and feet washers and adoptive parents and servants. All to make Him known. By His strength, for His glory.
Thanks for sparking thoughts on the subject!
Becky
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Reblogged this on The Recovering Legalist and commented:
I went to my “reader” with the intention to look for something to reblog on my site. Well, the first one I clicked on was this one by my friend IB. There was an immediate connection with my spirit.
You see, I’m trying to do a lot of things, maybe too much (according to a couple of deacons who want me to be careful and not burn myself out), and all of it NEEDS to be done. Yet, just this morning I was having coffee with a fellow preacher and I shared my self-diagnosed need to spend more time with the Lord in prayer…not in a legalistic way, but in a quality way.
In other words, I need to spend time with the One who has sent me, otherwise whatever I’m doing for Him will be nothing more than wood, hay, and stubble.
Thanks, IB, for the reminder – and confirmation.
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Amen Anthony! And thank you for the reblog.
Often when I have too much to do, taking an hour or so to just walk with Him really helps. I come back from that refreshed, renewed, and everything I was stressed about just falls into place. But it’s counterintuitive, it doesn’t always seem right to me. When you’re feeling pressed for time, who just takes an hour off? Wise people, that’s who. 🙂
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“Some of those princesses have beards, too. Just saying.”
Haha! I love that line. And your message is spot-on, IB. Near and dear to my heart. 🙂 The problem is, it’s really counter-intuitive because, as Heidi Baker says, “Lovers get more done than workers.” And she’s a great example of what you’re talking about. She went from totally burning herself out and getting little done, to now, where she personally spends far more time with Jesus than working for Him, yet she’s has almost single-handedly changed the face of Mozambique, and her and Rolland’s ministry, Iris Global, does amazing things for God around the world (see https://www.irisglobal.org/about/what-we-do).
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Ah, yes the old debate about being and doing. Which comes first and causes the other? “To be is to do” or “to do is to be”? I always fall back on the Sinatra solution. Do. Be. Do. Be. Do. J.
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LOL! Wellll….. I don’t think this should be a debate. The very fact that it is so often a debate in the Christian world, worries me. We need to spend time with Jesus first, make that relationship a priority. Without Him first, all our “doing” is going to be at best fruitless and at worst, harmful.
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Yes. His grace fixes our doing and our being, no matter which we think comes first. J.
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Could not, would not attempt to, have said it better!
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Thank you, MJ. Much appreciated. 🙂
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Martha, I think, wrestles w/ Mary. At least in me she does (LOL). ❤
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