Working for Him

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3, ESV).

This past week, I met another patient who had done well:
“I’m certainly glad you are better.”
“It’s your fault that I’m better, Doc.”
“It’s the Lord’s fault that you are better; I’m just working for Him.”


Many of us have had such conversations with patients whose health has improved under our care. As Christian healthcare professionals, we often seek to deflect praise from ourselves to God. It is good that we do so, but do we honestly believe it?
After all, we work hard to develop our skills and we work hard for our patients to see that their health improves. Are we honest in giving God the credit for our efforts?
Each of us will have to decide.
One area in which I need to mature is the way I answered this patient’s compliment above: “I’m just working for Him,” implying that I am using my skills at God’s request.
Oswald Chambers thought of our work with the Lord differently from that.


“We are not here to do work for God; we are here to be workers with Him, those through whom He can do His work.”
     The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers


There is a clear and powerful distinction between our doing God’s assigned work with our efforts and Christ doing His work through us.


“The problem with making commitments to God is that their focus and success is based on us, and our effort….what we need is surrender.”
     Blackaby Ministries International


Am I working for God and, therefore, it is my work with His help that makes patients better? Or is God working out His life through me because I have surrendered my life to Him? If the latter is true, my patients are getting better because He touches them, not I.


Dear God,
Let me rise up and meet you and empty myself for you. Fill me, so that others may be made whole.
Amen