Working for God?

Are you busy "working for God" at your church, in your community, or with a ministry? If so, be careful not to let the work define you or become the source of your self-esteem. I've met many Believers who "work for God" and get their need for acceptance and self-acceptance met through their work. In fact, they need the work. Take the work away from them and they'll become depressed. You see, Jesus wasn't the source from whom they were generating esteem; it was the work.

Paul's work was removed from him the last few years of his life. His goal for evangelizing Spain disappeared. He was a goal-oriented, hard worker, but he didn't get depressed over the lost goal. He wrote his most encouraging letters from prison, a place of "no achievement." He was able to do this because he wasn't satisfying his need for self-esteem through achieving tangible goals. His overriding, major goal was "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10). He drew even closer to this goal while experiencing the inactivity of prison life.

Again, I challenge you, Christian. What is the source of your acceptance of yourself -- your self-esteem? How are you getting your needs satisfied on earth? What or who is the source of your purpose in life? How much can the Lord remove from you and you'll continue to praise Him and rest in the passionate acceptance that is yours in Christ?

Why are you here? Some say it's to "work for God." Consider what my friend Tom Grady asks,

"Is that the reason you and your spouse had kids? So they could shoulder part of the work around the house? I imagine you planned for children so you could experience the joy of loving them and receiving love from them in return. To delight in them and in their victories, and to comfort them in their defeats. In short, to develop an intimate relationship with them."

That's the kind of relationship God wants with you!

The notion that God recreated you in Christ to get more work out of you is such a low view of our Father. God wants you to adopt Paul's life verse: "that I may know Him [Christ]" (Philippians 3:10). As you pursue that goal, spiritual fruit will begin to drop off of you to the glory of Christ. Men asked Jesus, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:28,29).