marketplace power

"The (Early) Church was not an organization merely, not a movement, but a walking incarnation of spiritual energy. The Church began in power, moved in power and moved just as long as she had power. When she no longer had power she dug in for safety and sought to conserve her gains. But her blessings were like the manna when they tried to keep it overnight it bred worms and stank. So we have had monasticism, scholasticism, institutionalism; and they have all been indicative of the same thing: absence of spiritual power. In Church history every return to New Testament power has marked a new advance somewhere, and every diminution of power has seen the rise of some new mechanism for conservation and defence. If this analysis is reasonably correct, then we are today in a state of very low spiritual energy"

Tozer - "Paths To Power"

This A.W. Tozer quote is amazingly accurate. So often I have found myself trying to perpetuate something with raw energy and found myself drained and deflated. However, the way of God in relation to abundant and vibrant living is different. God lives to display is power and He loves to display it in and through us. Yet it seems that those moments are few and far between. Like much of the word of God there are unique ironies throughout that in our human intellect contradict the very thing we're trying to understand.

In the case of spirit filled, abundant life living power it takes more unusual postures on our behalf to realize. It takes risks in trusting like we've never trusted before.

God lives to reveal His heart toward each one of us who know Him now and whom He still longs to know.

Obedient faith and trusting love is what brings us into the place where we know Him and He knows us and we are changed into His likeness.

15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:15-21

To move toward our Heavenly Father in such a way releases everything we need for this life. God is not a withholder – He is a gracious giver. So, believing that He not only has our best in mind but our future in check allows us to live freely. It allows us to live without a preoccupation with a huge list of 'what if's', or 'if only's'. It also allows us to rest. If we will trust Him completely He will allow us to enter into that perfect rest. That rest for you and I in the marketplace and beyond is best described as working with God rather than working for God. Which would you rather do?

The tendency is to work. Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. The mindset is - unless we work we will not accomplish anything. There is truth in that statement. However, the focus of that statement still revolves around us. God is trying to get us to revolve around Him. Here's His mindset - Unless the LORD builds the house, the efforts are pure vanity. Nothing is accomplished. Oh, we can build big houses, with our big money and buy big cars from our big jobs, but the question still remains... is this for you and your glory or for Him and His Kingdom?

Our work is comprised with bringing glory to God, trusting completely, surrendering unconditionally, loving daily and resting supremely. That's more than enough work for this guy. 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Psalm 127:1,2

Do you love God and trust Him enough to believe and ask Him to speak to you daily in your marketplace? Are you living with the confidence of a Son or the fear of an orphan? Whose your daddy? The one I know says that you will do even greater things than this. The Spirit is bent on revealing the Father through the Son in order that you and I might be formed daily in His image.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:12-14

Take some steps in the course of the next few days and weeks ahead and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He's doing. Once He shows you, ask Him how He wants you to participate in this divine work with Him. The process alone should produce some interesting results.