You or Him?
Insights into the greatest conundrum for Christian businesspeople
“How much should I expect God to do, and how much should I do?”
I just fielded that question from one of my CBIG members. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that question, and I had asked it myself dozens of times. I believe it is one of the most asked questions by Christian businesspeople.
The specific circumstances that give rise to this question occur every day in all kinds of situations. In this case, my CBIG member was pondering a cash flow situation. Should he call all the late-paying customers and encourage them to write a check, or should he just pray about it and let God do it?
It could be anything, problems with a customer, decisions about employees, strategic decisions, etc. There is no end to the situations and the occasions to ask that question.
That so many Christian businesspeople so frequently voice that question indicates that the solutions are elusive. It may be that there is no definitive answer to the question, and that it varies from person to person and situation to situation. There are, however, some broad guidelines we can use to guide us in the answers to the next time the question pops up.
Indications from Scripture
Let’s go all the way back to Genesis and the early days of creation. You’ll recall that God put Adam in the Garde of Eden in order to “work it and take care of it. “ (Genesis 2:15 – NIV)
Notice the sequence. God created the earth and the Garden of Eden, and then gave man, in the person of Adam, the charge to work what God had created and to take care of it. God wanted Adam to occupy himself with engaging with God’s creation, so He created a specific piece of His creation and put Adam in charge of it.
A few passages later, we see him giving Adam a specific task: To name the animals. (Genesis 2:19) God brought the animals to Adam, and Adam named them. Teamwork!
Notice that the task given to Adam required him to interact with a specific piece of God’s creation, the animals, and resulted in several things:
* A higher level of organization and sophistication. Before, Adam and God could not even talk about the animals as there were no names. Now, they could. When Adam completed the task given him by God, the result was a more challenging engagement with Gods creation, and a higher level of complexity and sophistication. In a sense, Adam continued to work with God in the continuous process of revealing/developing creation according to God’s plan.
* While the scripture doesn’t indicate this, it’s common sense to expect that successfully completing the task had an impact on Adam. Adam exercised his God-given creativity and began to develop his character and skills.
* God worked with him on the task, and in so doing, created a venue that deepened the relationship between God and Adam. They worked as a team. God gave Adam the task, brought the animals to him and then allowed Adam the freedom to name them as he saw fit.
These action on God’s part in the early days of creation set the precedent for how God has worked with mankind ever since. We see the pattern repeated over and over again in the scriptures. God brings a task to a person – a task which results and a higher level of complexity and greater sophistication of Creation and serves to enhance the individual’s development and bring him/her a little closer to God.
You can think of Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Saul, David, the prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul to name a few. All follow the same precedent.
Here’s the pattern. God focuses on some aspect of creation, formulates a task, and assigns it to a person to complete. Completion of the task results in a more complex manifestation of creation, furthers God’s plan, develops the individual, and creates a greater relationship between the person and God.
You’ll recall that God confirmed that plan in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)
Remember the parable of the bags of Gold, (Matthew 25: 14- 28) where the master gave three servants different amounts of the master’s assets to care for while he was gone. When he returned, he rewarded the two who had increased his assets with more responsibility and a closer relationship with him when he said, “Come and share your master’s happiness!’ NIV
What does this have to do with the question?
It may help to view your situation through the lens of this precedent. Because he has worked this way with generations of people, it’s reasonable to expect him to continue that pattern. He brought you the task, and now expects you to do it. In so doing, you add a bit more sophistication and complexity to the world, further God’s plan, develop yourself, and grow a bit closer to God.
So, as a general rule, expect that God is using the task you have in front of you as a means of bringing you closer to him, developing you and furthering his plan.
Back to the question: So, how much do you do, and how much should you expect God to do?
Generally, he’s going to bring you the task and expect you to do it.
Having said that, there are lots of exceptions and variations. God told us to bring all our requests to him:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (NASB)
That includes whatever it takes to successfully complete this task. He has, both in the pages of scripture as well as the annals of our own lives, intervened on multiple occasions. So, while you can start with the premise that God brought you the task and wants you to complete it, there are lots of circumstances in which he could intervene to help you.
So, to quote the old saying, “Pray like everything depends on God, and work like everything depends on you.”
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