>A small relational bloggish.
My Father has been sharing His heart with me. I find more and more that He wants openness and good hearted sharing, for He loves strong gentle openness in relationships (not obligations or rules). He does not need or want worship from some concept of lowly subservience (but permits me to worship Him for my sake). Nor does He want to fellowship with prideful arrogance that seeks to manipulate Him. He desires family camaraderie in relationship with me that is both lifting and comforting. This at the same time as provoking in me feelings of humble strength, an impression of expansiveness and disarmingly inviting me to be open and honest about everything. This is the trusting love of a Father - son relationship that is based in open giving. This is good natured banter with equality in discussion about a general plan of life to work to. His heart looks for an intimate relationship with me and for works to come out of that through my willing, peaceful and joyful heart. He is not interested in my obligation to serve Him, or any attitude that drives me to serve Him. He wants family, not servants, not robots, not slaves, not soldiers and not obligators.
What is my response to this disclosure of His attitudes toward me? It is firstly to look at my attitudes about the “good works” I am doing. He will give me tasks when I want to work, not when my attitude is passive or scared to do anything because I might get it wrong or be disapproved of. A task is given by Him out of my loving relationship with Him. A work or movement is born out of closeness with Him on a daily continued basis. So He only desires to give work to those who want to and are happy to.
Most surprisingly, He is not worried about it if I want to stop for a while.
Every job He gives is too big and needs dependency on Him to be achieved.
I have to learn what grace for sonship really is.
I see that we don’t know Him really because deep down we think He has an individual plan for each of us that is centred in His perfect will, and that this expectation keeps us seeking “the will of God” for each of us to do some big work – He doesn’t. This fostered by the great “My Ministry” thinking and attitudes which I have yet to see adequately backed up by scripture.
Our Father is focused on a far bigger picture than anything particularly centred around each of us. His picture is involved with growing up His whole family and, when we ask for something to do, will give us something to do that helps Him with His plan, not our plans. The truth is that our plans need to die in order to clearly see His. This is more of a process than a quick death because we are not expecting it and we are not co-operating with Him.
Prayer of the kind “What is my ministry?” is not really answered. Prayer of the kind “What do You want me to do?” is usually answered with "Be still and get to know Me" or “What do you want to do?” or “There’s more work around you than you can cope with. You know My heart so pick something and you will find Me in it.“ These are fatherly responses and very full of grace to grow sons.