I have often been made to feel inadequate by persons who claim that efficiency lies in organization; that by careful planning a man or woman can rise up above the confusion of his or her working environment, whether it be in the home or office or in a store or on the road, and be able to do more and enjoy greater success in his or her venture. Somehow, planning has been equated directly with success, but every time I take time to plan I find time is lost. How frustrating! I have never succeeded to be able to plan such that valuable time was not lost. But, in watching others, it would seem that this is not a consideration: planning is seperated into its own dimension, away from work time.
The Church of God, because it finds itself in this world, is not immune to these troubles. Some churches manage by the most sophisticated means while others depend entirely on their clergy. Some deputize their laity into management roles, and others 'fly by the seat of their pants.' Which way is right? Which way is prudent?
Jesus gave us the clue in the above quotation. He said as it is with the wind, so too is it with those who trust God in their lives. God's plans are not revealed widely to Man, but the individual who is willing to listen hears His instructions and does them.
Missionary work is daunting. If you measure your success by the number of people who you know have come to Christ and committed their lives to service under Him as their King, then in truth, you may feel like giving up the profession. It takes a certain kind of faith to remain where the work seems hopeless. But look at this picture from the opposite end for a moment: it takes no faith to work in an occupation where you are constantly reaping rewards.
True, such an activity would require talent, but all talent is given by God; we are called to use what we have been given, but we do not create it of ourselves - it is already there! God is in a different kind of business: He is in the 'perfection' business. He has undertaken to create Man into a perfect being once again, and this time better than before; for our ancestors Adam and Eve were perfect but without testing, and in testing they were made imperfect, but God has not given up and He knows that success is in His right hand. God uses our weaknesses to make us strong. Therefore, we must measure our success on a completely different scale than we have been. We must measure our success by what we can do for His Kingdom, moment by moment. And the best example of this is the life of Jesus.
It is true, we do not know God's plans. We know everything else, but not His plans. Why do you suppose this is? Are we just incompetent? Actually, no; we are specialized, in fact, we are too specialized to be involved in 'the big picture.' Often our own accomplishments are at the nedir of our work: the one who claims belief never attains the rebirth we seek in him, whereas the one who stubbornly refuses changes by God's timing into the very one we wish all to be! The planner is God, and God sees the results of our labour.
Now let's return to the 'missionary work is daunting' scenerio: If we take away the ability to measure as it exists in our minds, what is left, and what is lost? This I suppose is self-event; everything remains as it is, but we must learn to work by other senses, not depending on the techniques of earth. The steps we take, thankfully, are measurable enough in spiritual terms. The keys are found in active trust and obedience, not to men or women but to God Himself, and in this action we can make use of everything God has given to us; all of our gifts and talents. I am referring here to the Christian principle of Stewardship.
I must relate to you an interesting development that occurs as we take these steps: things get done! Moreover, things get done in a way that maximizes God's potential! And though we cannot see it, and though we are not in a clear position to see it, God makes us a blessing to those around us, and to those who share this planet we live on.
The efficiency of Chaos within the Kingdom of the Eternal God is actually a recognizable fact to those who would choose to trust the one who has offered his mortal life in order to gain for us our eternal ones. Those who sincerely follow our Lord Jesus Christ know that the chaos is only from our own perspective, and that the goal we are working toward is being met, act by act. And it is all embodied in trust.
