Luther is often quoted as saying: "Let no one give up the faith that God wants to do a deed through him." Whether this is what Luther said or not, there is an inscription on an archway at Wittenberg seminary that reads almost the same, but with one word changed. "Let no one give up the faith that God wants to do a deed in him."
This change may seem as a trifling thing, yet it is so critically important. How often do both pastor and people get themselves sideways in their faith to the point of despair because they are living only for the deed the Lord would do through them. When such people fail to see the deed they would accomplish come to fulfillment, they quickly descent into despair and depression. All this because their faith is fixed first and foremost on what they think the Lord ought to do through them, and when He doesn’t, they jump to the false illusion that the Lord has thrown them off and has no further use of or for them.
As the redeemed, we live by faith in Christ and His redeeming grace that daily rescues us from our sin and our sinfulness. We have been saved by God’s grace to do the good works that He prepared in advance for us to do. Let us not be so foolish to believe that He who has accomplished all that is necessary for our eternal redemption, is somehow ignorant of when, where and how best to use our redeemed lives in and for His Kingdom. If you would know what is the will of God for you as His redeemed child, look not to what you would do for Him, but look His Word, to His 10 Commandments, here you will find more than enough to occupy your time and your faith.
In all that the Lord gives you to do and in all that He has set you free from doing – make sure that you do not take to yourself what He has not given you. In what He has given you to do, rejoice in both the opportunity to serve and the boundaries that come with it. In what the Lord has relieved you from doing, rejoice that it sets you free to do more in your given areas of service and it sets you free for the potential of new opportunities of service.
The great hazard of taking to ourselves to do what our Lord has not given us is that it will only get in the way of doing what He has set us free to do in Jesus Christ. This will then only escalate our sense of uselessness and frustration and make us a willing and prime target for the illusions of Satan.
Inasmuch as “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb 13:8), His want to do His saving deed in us is eternally almighty today as it was before time began. So almighty is our Lord’s want to work His saving grace in us that, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lam 3:22-23
Wherever you would look for the deed our Lord would do through you, look first and always to the deed our Lord is doing in you and you will always have hope.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalms 42:11
The peace and blessings of Christ be with you!
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