What does it mean to be "partners with God"? We hear that phrase so often in sermons, books, Sunday School lessons, but what does that really mean?
First, let's look at the actual definition of partnership, which is: "a cooperative relationship between people or groups who agree to share responsibility for achieving some specific goal." [1]
So, it would be safe to conclude that the phrase "partnership with God" means a shared effort in achieving a specific goal, which is to live out His purpose for our lives while we live on this earth, right?
Therefore, you could say, "Well, partnership means a 'co-effort.' We have a part to play in our lives and God has His part. We share responsibility for fulfilling God's purposes in our lives," and you would be right. However, do we actually believe this statement, meaning we really apply it and live it out in our lives? Or, do we have a tendency to apply this "partnership" idea a little differently, i.e. "Sure, God and I are partners, but it's up to me to fulfill my purpose in life."
I'll give you an example. Do you ever get worried or feel anxiety about anything? Your job, finances, ministry, school/education? Why? Are you afraid that you won't be able to accomplish your goals, you won't be able to obtain your necessary provisions? Do you fear failure?
Christ says,
"do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life." (Matt. 6:25-27)To what do you think Christ is referring? Here, He talks about provisions, obligations, our presentations; He even mentions our "lives," implying just about all that they include, wouldn't you agree? And what does He say about them? He says that, in essence, the responsibility for these things belongs to our Partner, God, Who is Jehovah-
Jireh-the Great Provider,
Jeho '
Ahaz-God our
Sustainer, Jehovah-
Shammah, the Lord Who is There. Partnership means what?
SHARING responsibilities. So, what is Christ saying are God's (responsibilities)? Basically, most of the work, like the provisions, our lives, bodies,
everything! These are all
HIS responsibilities!
Then what is our responsibility or stipulation in the partnership? Let's look how Christ completes His thought:
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (6:33-34)Our responsibility is to 1)
seek God and 2)
not to
worry.
That's it! We are to seek His face, develop our relationship with Him, learn His ways, apply His precepts, love Him, serve Him, and relinquish all our concerns to Him; and guess what? HE DOES THE REST!
Well, this is a lot easier said than done, don't you agree? After all, worry seems to be a large part of most of our lives, and some of us think that, in so doing, we are fulfilling our end of the bargain (you're not responsible unless you worry about
something, right?) when in fact, we are only making ourselves miserable. I will give you an example of how a lot of us apply our understanding of what "partnership with God" looks like, using my own life's experience. Yes, once again I will open up myself, surrender my "dignity" to you for a brief moment, allowing you to laugh at my mistakes and, hopefully, be able to relate to them in one aspect or another and learn from them...oh what I do for you!
My understanding about “being partners with God” has taken a dramatic shift within the last four years. I used to believe that “being partners with God” meant that the majority of the responsibility about participating in His purposes for one’s life was largely dependent on the individual. (It's up to me!)This placed an unduly amount of pressure on me, especially in my Fall semester as a theatre major at Abilene Christian University.
At
that time, I believed that the Lord had called me to Hollywood to be His light in a dark chasm of wickedness. I also “figured out” how He was going to “get me there.” I had planned that I would be cast in a leading role in the Spring play, and there someone would “spot me” and offer to take me to California to finish my schooling and begin the destiny the Lord had “planned” for my life.
You are welcome to laugh at the
naïveté of this belief, and it gets worse. The night of my audition, I was so nervous about “being cast” that I botched the audition, and consequently was not cast in the Spring show. I was crushed! I bawled for three hours, talking on the phone with my parents, explaining how I had “failed God,” and how I would miss “His plan” to get me to Hollywood.
My parents gently consoled me that it is not our responsibility to make His purposes for our lives come to pass. Our only work is to believe Him, walk with Him, love Him, and He will lead us in the way everlasting, regardless of our successes or failures. Moreover, sometimes our ideas of what His plans are for us are not always His true plans for our lives; I did not like to hear that, but I knew that that was true.
Needless to say, my perception of “partnership with God” has had a dramatic transformation, as well as my understanding of what His “purposes” and “destiny” for His children truly means. Back then, I had no idea that I would be entering into one of my most difficult and longest seasons of illness that Spring semester. In fact, I was in a hospital room on the opening night of the show.
God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts. However, we do know that His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future (
Jer. 29:11). It is
HIS responsibility to fulfill His purposes in us.
WE are only to serve and love Him.
So, with that said, let's take a moment and ponder what Christ might say to us today. "Why do you worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Seek first His kingdom; this is your responsibility. Cast your cares onto the Lord, for He cares for you (1 Pet.5:7); this is your stipulation. God will carry you through your life's purposes; He will be faithful on His end of the bargain. And you will be a lot happier when you start to 'hold up' yours."
[1]partnership. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved October 04, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/partnership
