LATELY, I’ve been sharing from “Lessons in the Garden,” a devotional collection inspired by Miles J. Stanford’s “None But the Hungry Heart.” Today’s reflection, however, comes from another treasured devotional: Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest.” A recent reading stirred my thoughts toward a frequently asked question: What is God doing?
IN our chaotic world, that question can evoke many responses. Yet, as I counsel troubled souls, I often guide them to step back and consider the bigger picture—one that can bring clarity to life’s confusing circumstances. I often emphasize the importance of this big picture, though I won’t digress into it now. Suffice it to say, it’s crucial to understand what God is doing at large—His overarching goal. If we look to Scripture and ask that question broadly—beyond His ultimate glory—we’d see a story of redemption: redeeming His own, both individually and collectively.
SO, when we ask, “What is God doing in you and me?” I often turn to Romans 8:28–29—especially verse 29. It reveals one key thing: Christ in us, the hope of glory. But that’s not all. He is also redeeming and building His church, as we see in Matthew 16:18. If these two purposes—Christ in us and the building of His church—are central to God’s kingdom and His will, they should be central to our priorities as well.
BEFORE we leave that question—”What is God doing?”—I want to highlight one guiding principle that shapes both my blog and my thinking: God is growing things. One of my favorite reminders is that gardens don’t just happen. God is always planting and growing beautiful things. And note: everything He plants carries a seed to reproduce after its own kind. What God grows isn’t meant to stand alone—it’s meant to multiply.
WITH that, let’s turn to today’s reflection that sparked these thoughts.
In the inexorable riches of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10; Isa 30:15; Job 2:10; Jas. 1:2; Prov. 21:30
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The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church
By Oswald Chambers
…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… —Ephesians 4:13
Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.
Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “…that I may know Him…” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.
My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.
Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less.
