Avoiding self-based beliefs
“We live by faith, not by show.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
Over the years I have met many business people who say, “Whenever I get things sorted out in my business, I want to get more involved in ministry.” What are these people really saying? They are saying that as soon as they get the money to create security, they will trust God. They are saying that what they are doing till date is not ministry. This separation of “action and faith” is common in our culture. We fail to understand that life is sacred to God and there is nothing “sacred” in it and nothing “sacred” in itself.
I would love to hear a workplace believer say, “I have spent my life in this business. God has blessed me with great resources. But now God has asked me to give away my possessions and trust Him to provide for me in new ways.” Wouldn’t this be a novel concept? CT Studd, the great cricket player of the 1800s, did just that. He was raised in a wealthy household, but his profound conversion experience led him to take actions that forced him to trust in God in a way he never had to before. He became one of the greatest missionaries of all time.
Whenever we seek to plan methods of ministry that depend on our ability to manipulate and plan the outcome, this is not faith. The ministry resulting from this will be very small. Fruitful faith is faith that arises from an experience of the living God. It’s faith that says, “I don’t know where the next check is coming from. I just know that God told me to do this and I trust Him for the next step.” That is faith that moves mountains and stirs the heart of God. God rarely allows His servant to look beyond the next faith step. However, those who are willing to take the first step and leave the results to him see his actions.
“And the people got into ships and went out into the sea; they were traders on the vast waters. They saw the works of the Lord…” (Psalm 107:23-24).
