In the book of Judges we read about a group of people who were guided and protected by God, yet they failed to remain faithful. They got lost along the way, caught up in the details, and didn’t do their part. I wonder where God has guided and protected us, but we haven’t done our part?
Judges chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, an Angel of the Lord came and spoke to the Israelites and says “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land …’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?”
God made a deal. I will rescue you, now you don’t break my covenant. A covenant is an agreement. An agreement to follow God and trust him. And these people failed. They failed to do their part.
Have you failed to do your part? Could this be why you’re still waiting? Could this be why things aren’t happening for you? Could this be the source of your problem, your stress, your mess? A failure to do your part? I can’t answer that question for you, so you will need to seek God in your answer. HAVE YOU DONE YOUR PART?
Sadly I must admit there are a few areas of my life where I became a little lax. I coasted, and as a result I drifted. I stopped doing all I could do and as a result I was not experiencing all I could experience. That’s just the cold hard truth.
When we stop doing all we can do, we will not experience all we could experience. We’re in a partnership with God. God does his part without fail, but when we fail to do our part there is a break in the covenant. And God says “Hey, you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?”
We made a deal. God gave us this life to live, now we’re supposed to be living it well. We’re supposed to take everything we have and do something with it. We’re supposed to be showing up with our best effort every single day. We’re supposed to multiply what he has provided. BUT ARE WE?
How about let’s get real clear on what God is expecting us to do today. 1 Peter 1: 5 reading from the Message translation:
“Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given …”
Are you building on what you already have, or are you just skimming the top? Oh dang we fall into the trap of just skimming. We’re just barely using what we have. We’re just barely trying. Barely showing up. And as a result we’re doing exactly what this scripture warns us about, we’re losing our minutes. Translation, we’re wasting time. You’ve only been given so many days to walk this earth and make your impact, sister you can’t afford to waste a single one. But if you’re not building on what you’ve been given, you are wasting time. You’re wasting opportunities. You’re not doing your part and God is saying, YOU ARE DISOBEYING ME. WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?
You have faith. You believe God will provide. You believe God will make a way. That’s great. Faith is your foundation, but girl you can’t just sit around with a foundation and not build on it.
1 Peter 1: 5-10 goes on to break down our part in 7 simple steps. 7 things you can do today to ensure you’re doing your part, which then unleashes God to do his.
“Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love… With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you.”
7 steps to do your part today:
1. Good character: Will you do the next right thing today? Oh we like to complicate it and make it more difficult than it really is, but God just wants to know if you’ll do the next right thing.
2. Spiritual understanding: Will you seek to understand what God desires of you? Will you seek to fulfill the purpose of your life? Will you grow to be more like Jesus in everything you do?
3. Alert discipline: Will you wake up? Will you live this day with your eyes fully open and be willing to see the opportunities God has given you and go with a hearty yes?
4. Passionate patience: Not just patient because you have to be as you bite your tongue, but passionate about being patient with others today. This is our GET TO attitude. I don’t have to, I get to. I get to raise these children, so I will be passionately patient. I get to go to this job to earn money, so I will be passionately patient.
5. Reverent wonder: Will you see the beauty around you today and remember it’s all a gift from your loving creator. Will you stand in awe over what the rest of the world rushes by?
6. Warm friendliness: Will you be kinder than necessary today? Darn it, will you just be nice? This may be a challenge with some people, but God is calling you to be kind to the unkind. Will you go first?
7. Generous love: Will you give your love today without concern of it being returned? Will you tie no strings to your love? God wants you to love as he has loved you. Generously. Without strings or restrictions. Without expectations of anything in return. Just love today, generously, wildly.
This is our part. God has done his part. He has provided us with this new day of life. He has given us the strength to get out of bed. He has shown up, now it’s time for us to show up and do our part. Let’s not disappoint God today by wasting what we have been given. Let’s be faithful. Let’s build on the faith we have with good character (do the next right thing), spiritual understanding (seek to be more like Jesus), alert discipline (fully plugged in with a hearty yes), passionate patience (I don’t have to, I get to), reverent wonder (awe over God’s works), warm friendliness (be kinder than necessary), and generous love (love without expectations).
God, I will do my part! I will make you proud today!
