We've got a great staff team at The Journey! They work hard, are gifted, have ability, and plain just "get-r-done". I'm guessing they each work about 50-55 hours a week. We say "work hard, play hard".
But, there can be a danger when you have people with aptitude and skill. We can become reliant on our own abilities and hard work to accomplish great things. Which sounds like that's how it should be, right? I mean everything we've ever been taught is to "work hard, and good things will happen".
And, yet, there is a, seemingly, competing thought in the Bible. The Bible tells us that without Jesus working in us, we can't do anything. The Bible talks over and over and over again about the humble person, about the person of lowly position, about the person who serves (Philippians 2 - the same attitude as Jesus).
We are dependent on God, and His Spirit working in and through us. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He draws people to Himself and into relationship. YET, He gives us a role and asks us to play our part. To work hard for Him.
So, it's both/and. We work hard, but depend on God to do the heavy lifting. The problem is, that too often, we can simply just work hard, and not place ourselves in a place of dependence on God. Listening to Him, taking time to discern what He is saying or what He wants us to do. We don't surrender our plans to Him (because His plans might be different).
When you have talent and ability, you can still work in such a way that you will make an impact, by the sheer nature of your fortitude and ability. But, it won't be close to the impact of a heart surrendered fully to God, dependent on Him. I want to make sure that I, and our team at The Journey, never forgets that "apart from Christ, we can do nothing". Any lasting, eternal, powerful impact will come from our dependence on Him.
How are you depending on God this week? Are you listening to Him? Are you surrendering yourself to Him? And, then, as He speaks, work hard at it!