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April 30, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
The Partnership, by Phil Ware
"It's just lousy!"
Pretty much everywhere I turn, that's the prevailing sentiment. The
economy is in the tank. Retirement accounts are beyond depressing.
Layoffs and bad news still dribble out of a seemingly endless pipeline
of discouraging news.
Now folks are worried about the swine flu pandemic to go along with
global warming, droughts and floods, and who knows what else.
Then we go through the check-out line at the grocery store and see only
bad news screaming from every magazine cover. The world is going to end
because this celebrity is breaking up with that celebrity. Some
disaster is going to befall Hollywood because some superstar has hair
in her comb, blood on his toothbrush, or a wrinkle on his brow. Oh, and
then there is the scandalous rumor that so and so has an eating problem
and has gained a few pounds -- or wait, could it be a baby bump?
ENOUGH!
Yes, there are some very hard things happening to people right now.
Some who read this are in the middle of very hard times. Yet we have
become a culture that has been trained like Pavlov's dogs to see, hear,
and think only about the negative. The news media floods our house with
nothing but crisis, conflict, and catastrophe. The more we hear, the
more we salivate in expectation of more juicy and negative sound bytes.
We've become like the old Peanuts cartoon strip character Pigpen. Only
in our case, it is not a cloud of dust that follows us everywhere we
go, but an oppressive cloud of negativism and cynicism. So when we come
together, we can find plenty of reasons to complain and to criticize.
So I will say it again: ENOUGH!
Somewhere along the way, we have lost our sense of divine partnership
with the Father. We don't celebrate what God has done through us (Acts
14:26-28). We don't rejoice that God is present in us to "will and to
work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). We forget that we are
His salt and His light in this world of decay and darkness (Matthew
5:13-16). God is at work in us and through us to bless the world, to
work things out for good, and to use those who love Him for His
purposes (Romans 8:28-29).
When we lose this "God-perspective," this sense of divine partnership,
we begin a downward and destructive spiral:
* We worry that we have to fix things or we are a failure.
* We feel stressed and rushed to accomplish all our tasks at hand.
* We lose any sense of genuine thankfulness, and focus only on what
is wrong or what we don't have or how we are flawed.
* We don't look for God's presence in our lives;
* We ultimately divide the world in sacred and secular, limiting God
to a box and a set time each week (see last week's post for more on
this subject).
We must remember: God is at work in us, both in bad times and good
times. God is looking to partner with us in His work of redemption,
forgiveness, compassion, and holy living. There is more going on in our
lives than simply trudging through another day. God is present in us
and with us and through us. He is longing to partner with us on a daily
basis.
How do I know?
The Father has promised it! He longs to join with us in this divine
partnership and catch us up in His story of grace!
Paul could say of his ministry partners, "We are God's co-workers" (1
Corinthians 3:9 NASB) and speak of Timothy as God's co-worker, as well
(1 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
He told new believers, "... for it is God who works in you to will and
to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13 TNIV).
Let's learn to celebrate the good things that our Father is doing
through us!
He proclaimed these words of comfort and good hope to those facing
trial:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans
8:28).
No wonder the first team sent out in the name of Jesus came back from
their journey and "gathered the church together and reported all that
God had done through them ..." (Acts 14:29 TNIV, emphasis mine). They
recognized that they were in a divine partnership with God!
So let's take a little more time to give thanks for what God is doing
among us. Let's learn to celebrate the good things that our Father is
doing through us, not for our glory, but for His. When we live for His
purpose, we bring Him great pleasure, and in the process, we discover
His power in a fresh way for our day (Romans 8:28)!
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LIFE Questions:
(These are questions designed for you to discuss with others in a small
group, house church, friendship circle, or share with our
Heartlight.org community on the blog. I'd love to hear from you:
http://thephilfiles.com!
What is God doing in your life?
How can you be more aware of His presence and partnership with you
in your daily life?
How can God work through you at work, school, or in your
recreational activities?
What makes it hard for you to believe that God might be at work in your
life?
How do you think Jesus, or the apostle Paul, would convince you
that God is really present and at work to use you for His glory?
Paul talked about two key elements that set us in a position for God's
work to occur in our lives: loving Him and being called to live for His
purpose (Romans 8:28).
Which of these two do you need to work on in your life?
How can you show your love for God more fully?
How can you get a better sense of God's purpose for your life?
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Fingerprints of God!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200305/20030505_fingerprints.html
* Steady, It Could Be God
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200505/20050529_couldbegod.html
* To Life!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200508/20050817_tolife.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200904/20090430_partnership.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE: 50 PRAISE & WORSHIP SONGS, by The Maranatha Singers
You'll be lifting your hands and your voice while enjoying this
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Singers---available only from CBD.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?257
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
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