Hop Aboard the Jesus Express
Monday, February 17, 2025
“It is not up to you to fulfill the purposes God has for your life. The minute you try to help Him is the minute He takes His hands off your life.” – Os Hillman
For most of my adult life, I have followed the following maxim: “Pray as if everything depends on God but act as if everything depends on you.”
Simply put, I was wrong.
Following that mantra created two problems in my life. First, I developed a performance-based relationship with God in which I equated His love for me with the amount of spiritual fruit I produced. For instance, if my soulwinning efforts were productive, then I assumed God was pleased with me. However, if I failed to achieve the desired results, I was a spiritual failure in my eyes… and I presumed in God’s too.
Second, I adopted a shoot-first and act-second mentality. In other words, I either offered up a quick prayer and then proceeded to jump into action (usually not waiting for God’s marching orders), or even worse, I would simply do what I thought was best and then retroactively ask God to bless it.
Neither approach was very healthy.
As Os Hillman went on to say, “God does need our participation, but there is a place where we hinder His work. The best way to describe how our partnership should work is like driving a car. Think of God as your GPS voice. You are driving the car, but you do only that which He instructs.”
“Trust your destiny and time into God’s hands. Together, He will fulfill every purpose He created you to fulfill, and in His perfect timing.”
These days, when someone compliments me on a good sermon or a job well done, I respond by saying, “Praise God. I’m just along for the ride.” I think that’s a better and more biblical attitude to take and certainly a less stressful one.
“…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (BSB)
“I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
