What God Desires from You
Dr. Robert Jeffress
PATHWAY TO VICTORY You know the drill. Your teenager asks for help on his math homework. Although you feel exhausted from the day's activities and still have more tasks to complete before bedtime, you agree to help. Before you know it, you are the one trying to decipher a complex algebra problem while your child is in the next room chatting online with a friend.
If you supervise other people, you probably have had the experience of giving one of your employees a task to fulfill, and later when you check up on the assignment, your employee says, "I put it aside because I didn't understand how to..." So you patiently explain how to solve the problem. A few days later your employee offers another excuse for not completing the job. With your own deadline approaching, you reason silently, it would be easier if you just did the task yourself. So you do!
Or maybe you receive a letter from your accountant in January reminding you that "April 15 is just around the corner," encouraging you to fill out the enclosed questionnaire to aid in the preparation of your tax return. So you spend most of a Saturday with a calculator and stacks of files, answering questions about earned income, deductions, losses, and gains. Suddenly it dawns on you: Wait a minute. Why am I spending hundreds of dollars for an accountant when I'm the one doing all the work?
If similar incidents have ever happened to you, you are a victim of "upward delegation." We become victims of upward delegation whenever we allow a subordinate to give a job back to us that belongs to him. We are guilty of practicing upward delegation whenever we give back to a superior a job that he has assigned to us.
In our spiritual lives, we are often the perpetrators of upward delegation - and God is the victim. We give back to Him assignments He has given to us.
For example, maybe a single mother in your small group at church mentions a specific request during prayer time:
"My car recently lost its transmission, and I don't have the money for the necessary repairs. Without the car I can't get to work. Would you pray that God would provide the money for the repair work?"
So you pray aloud, "God, we know that You own the cattle on a thousand hills. Nothing is too hard for You. Please, Lord, answer our dear sister's request so that she can have a car and be able to provide for her family's financial needs. In Jesus' name, amen."
However, your small group really doesn't need God's help in the matter.
Each person in your group has the ability to contribute at least $50 dollars to the cause; together you probably could cover the entire bill. But instead of passing the hat, you have collectively chosen to pass the responsibility to God. You have given Him a job that He has already given to you.
"What God Desires from You" article continued
A personal and corporate declaration of belief, consecration, and prayerful intent-to the end that Christ may be exalted and the glory and redeeming love of God may be displayed throughout the whole earth. "True Woman Manifesto" Nancy Leigh DeMoss, REVIVE OUR HEARTS
The God of the Universe is seeking something - God is looking for individuals who will worship Him. We were all born, alienated from God, by our sin. But Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost by taking our place on the cross and paying the price for our sin. "Grace Energized Men: God, Gifts, and God's Building Project" Dr. John Barnett, DISCOVER THE BOOK
The French Old Testament scholar Edmond Jacob contends that the basic biblical affirmation about man concerns his inherent feebleness as a creature. James Edmeston the hymnwriter makes the same admission, "All our weakness thou dost know". "Looh Upon Our Infirmities" Roger Salter, LIVING ORACLES
Have you ever noticed how surprised the press is when someone gives sacrificially to benefit others? Giving without expecting anything in return should be the norm and not the exception for Christians because we have the perfect example to follow. "Love's Example" Dr. David Jeremiah, TURNING POINT
May the Lord richly bless you!
The Oneplace.com Team
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