God is at Work

This week of prayer has been one in which God has reminded me of His desire and plan to work in my life.  It is so easy to become distracted or overwhelmed by the challenges of life that we fail to take the time to develop our relationship with Christ.  It is possible that even Ministers can become so captured by "doing the work of the Ministry" that we fail to allow the Spirit to develop the heart of the Minister.  I am convinced that the only way that I can be effective (that is certainly a relative term) as a Minister of the Gospel is to place a priority on my personal walk and relationship with Christ.  Ministers and other Christian leaders can become so concerned about pleasing people and meeting their individual needs that they fail to spend quality time with the Savior.  I know that in times past that I have been guilty of working to please people in so many way that I failed to recognize my need to walk in a deep fellowship, communion, and relationship with Jesus Christ.  This week has served to remind me of the need not to get those two opportunities in my spiritual life confused.  I do not mind serving people; that is not the point of this blog.  But I do not want the need to serve people overrun my need to have a developing relationship with Christ.  We are battling the lack of spiritual maturity in the Body of Christ and each of us need to take the time and examine the development of our relationship with Christ.  Do we expect other people to develop spiritually yet we are content to remain in the same spiritual condition that we have been for years (sounds a little like the Pharisees)?  Is it not time that each of us understand that this is the time, high time to awake out of sleep and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work "in" our lives? 

The modern day believer has become more interested and intrigued by what God will do "through us and with us"  so much that we have ignored what He desires to do "in" us.  I am convinced that He will work through us and with us if we will surrender ourselves to Him and allow Him to perform His work "in" us.  The work of the Spirit "in" us is where true transformation and regeneration takes place.  Could this be one of the reasons that we see a lack of transformation and regeneration in many of the conversions of the modern day?  God desires to move beyond the surface of our lives; His Word and Spirit desire to penetrate our heart which is the seat of our emotions.  God desires to change us from the inside out rather than the outside in.  I am listening to the song, "I Surrender All" as I am writing this blog.  Am I truly ready to "surrender" every area of my life to Him and allow His will and way to be accomplished "in" me?  I truly believe that the Spirit is asking each believer to answer that question today!