God Works Through Us as well as For Us

Scripture Passage that Caught My Attention today: Acts 1:6-8 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Observation: They wanted to know what Jesus would do for them. Instead Jesus explained what the Holy Spirit would do through them.

Application: It’s natural to want someone else to do what we wish would be done. That way we don’t have to share ownership in the problem. We can blame someone else if our expectations aren’t met. We don’t have to face our own humanity, nor our interconnectedness with others.

Interestingly enough, Jesus refuses to play that game. Rather than succumbing to the expectations/desires of the disciples for Jesus to do the heavy-lifting, Jesus says that they (after they’ve been empowered by the Holy Spirit) will be the witnesses. In other words, God will work through them rather than for them.

More often than not, this is exactly how God works—through us rather than for us.

Actually, that’s only half true. God has in fact done something for us. God sent the Son. The Son offered his life as both example and sacrifice. Death has been given notice that it is, well, short-lived. Sins have been forgiven. The great commission has been given.

The list of what God has already done could go on and on…yet much of what is left to be done will not be by some miraculous intervention. Rather, ordinary people, inspired by the Holy Spirit, will follow the servant-model of Jesus and get to work.

Then we’ll look back (rather than forward) and see for ourselves whether or not this was the (or ‘a’) time that God restored the kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, as you see fit, use us to do what, in your mercy, needs to be done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Exodus 12-13, Psalm 21, and Acts 1)