We know we are so much more confident and enabled to be fruitful when our senior partner is the Lord. And we even might do a good job of inviting Him in… but do we involve Him? Do we let Him be Lord in the midst? Or do we kinda smile and say ‘Welcome Lord’ and then turn to what we are doing with little to no ‘invitation’ for His participation?
Splitting hairs? I don’t think so. i would suspect that we all tend to miss, set aside, ignore, etc. some of the simpler things we do that have far reaching affects. Simple example: we know from scripture that a promise from the Lord is that He would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). But being INVOLVED in our lives does require our invitation. Do you have an ongoing conversation with Him? When faced with opportunity, obstacle, ongoing… does your first thought become – Lord, what is my best response? Probably not. No blame but we all could do considerably better.
Why do we stop at inviting Him in and don’t continue the conversation? As I look back I can see those times in which He enhanced what I gave Him. Involved, in my world, means intentionally providing all I am and have so that He can enhance my contribution. But it’s also keeping an extra ear and eye conscious that He is with me and willing to be involved in my world. A word of ‘warning’ – He doesn’t always answer immediately. Sometimes we have to wait on what He wants for us.
“So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.” [Isaiah 30:18]
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” [Revelation 3:20]
This last verse assures us that He is right here, right now and is available to be with us. The point – IF. If you hear and open. This is a incredible promise and it includes us in the doing. Again – it is our choice. Do we want the Lord involved? If we don’t… exactly what is it that we are doing/saying that we don’t want Him to know? Kinda silly because He is Omni everything. There are no secrets.
But what is it that the Lord brings when He enters our lives by participating, by partnership, by being the Senior Partner? Scripture indicates at least 45 gifts, some of which are:
Faith / Righteousness / God’s grace / Peace / Access to the Father / Love Holy Spirit / Hope / Eternal LIfe
Salvation
Every one of those gifts enhances who you are and what you can do. Operating in His favor grants us more than we realize. But having Him with us, in the situation enhances … the situation.
