Week of March 11
Coming and Growing
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
-James 1:17
People come, and people grow. This is true in all relationships—personal, business and ministry. There is a mutual pouring in and outpouring, each growing internally and externally until the next level is reached and promotion or expansion occurs, if we stay the course. We don’t have to look far to see it in all directions: Our children grow up, our colleagues get promoted and volunteers in our churches advance.
I’ve learned to thank God for those he brings in and those He takes out. Some people just need a touch in our ministry, and they’re ready to go. Others engage deeply. They are here to receive more, because there is a deep hunger in them for what’s offered. A few even become pillars, assigned long term.
This is a normal flow of life, and God has no shortage of people. It’s amazing to me that the Great Commission was launched through a few disciples and that, through them, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel was ignited throughout the world. Jesus does say in Matthew 9:37 that "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
Growth in the area of fruitfulness is a beautiful thing. Multiplication is a byproduct of the obedient, righteous seeds we sow in all areas of giving, including doing what God says, praying for others, extending acts of kindness and even offering financial contributions. The very nature of giving is nurturing. It offers a cycle of life that begets life.
It is important, too, that we keep our tent pegs light as God grows us, letting go of the former and depending upon God to bring the latter that will accomplish His purpose for each new season. We must move up and out at His command.
This life cycle keeps us humble. It is good for us. It keeps us fasting and seeking the Lord for His provision. It puts God first. Letting go is an ongoing process of faith, love and trust at many levels. And, I believe, it can be one of the greatest challenges we humans have to confront and walk through.
It helps to remember that, although people come and go, God is always a constant. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:38 that he is “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We can rest knowing that those of us who know the Lord will always have Him by our side on earth and eternally.
The last place we should want anyone to be is where God doesn’t want them. With every relationship, we are tested in this truth. Do we make God our rock? Or do we hold on too tightly to that which the Lord has provided for a season? Often, if we hold onto the former people or things, we will not have the capacity for the latter. God promised Job in chapter 8, verse 7: “Then what you had in the past will seem small compared with the great prosperity you'll have in the future.” God made good on his promise. Job 42:12 says, “So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.”
Job didn’t give up in the journey, and all that he had was multiplied and restructured. No doubt, Job’s faith and trust in God also increased. When God is all we have, we find that He’s all we need. We learn that we are perfectly positioned for a miracle breakthrough that will provide for us more than we’ve ever had.
God’s plans and strategies are dynamic. Are you moving with Him? How is God ramping you up? Calling you up higher? Is there anyone or anything that you need to let go of to move forward? Is there anyone that you need to entrust to God?
Philippians 1:21 tells us that the Apostle Paul believed that “…to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He knew that when his flesh died, he would be better. This is also true on earth as it is in heaven. Do you see the benefits of your flesh dying daily? Do you see your growth potential and fruitfulness in your life?
You are in God’s promotion process. Learn all you can so you can honor God and see multiplication by your next assignment.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
Originally published Sunday, 11 March 2012.
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