Your Job or God's Job?

How do we best figure out what is OUR job and what is GOD'S job? This could apply to lots of areas. Here is one that I find quite difficult (in my own life and the lives of those I Minster to as a Pastor):

It is clear in scripture what I am supposed to do if I have a problem with you. If I have "ugly" in my heart toward you, I need to love you, and go to you in the spirit of Matthew 18 and work it out. I am not supposed to sit on it and let it stir and grow. That is NOT the will of God. Soon enough, the Holy Spirit will grab ahold of me and straighten me up.

BUT....and this a BIG BUT (not a big "butt")...

What if you think and sense that someone else has a problem with you, but is not sharing it. You feel it, you smell it, you see it...but they are not telling you what's up.

• What do you do?
• What is your job?
• And what is the role of the Holy Spirit?
• Do you get your relational fishing pole out and start fishing for the problem that you "sense" is there?
• Or do you pray and leave it to the Lord?
• Do you dig it out with your relational shovel?
• Or do you let them let it out when the Lord gets them ready for that?
• But they are in sin if they are harboring bitterness!! Yes, BUT...is it ALWAYS your job to point that out, or might the Lord possibly have other channels through which to get to them?

Here's where I am at on this (for today):

• If it is YOU that they are upset with, than YOU just may not be the best person to come at them about it. The chances that they will be receptive to you are slim.
• The best thing that you can do is PRAY about the situation and for the person! Prayer moves the hand and heart of God in all things.
• Do not let your pride deceive you, you are not the savior. It is not your job to fix everything. The Holy Spirit is the expert on convicting and changing people when they have "ugly" in their heart.
• (Oh, and there may be nothing wrong at all or it may have nothing at all to do with you. We need to be careful about what we imagine!!)

Basically....

Instead of forcing and pulling, how about trying prayer and trusting the Lord to do what needs to be done!

Oh, and chill out!!! Read yesterday's post HERE about the need to please people. If you are waiting for everyone to like you, you got a LOOOOOONG wait!

(Note: the preceding words are for me as much as they are for anyone else!)