Zechariah 4:6 So he said two me, “This the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Have you ever considered having a super power? What would it be? It’s fun to think about. Imagine all you could do! You might think about how much easier life would be. You might consider how you would help others. You might even ponder what your super hero name would be! But the problem is, a super power would almost inevitably lead to pride.
Zerubbabel (don’t ever complain about your name again!) was a descendant of David. He had come back to Israel from Babylon in the promised return from exile. He and Joshua, the high priest, wanted to rebuild the temple. They realized that the reason the exile happened in the first place was the idolatry of the people. So now that they’re back, they want to get off on the right foot as quickly as possible and that means rebuilding the temple.
But building the temple was not an easy task. In fact, it was incredibly difficult. Zerub-babel was frustrated. I’m sure he had all sorts of thoughts. He may have thought, “If these people were more committed or more talented, things would go quicker.” Or he may have thought, “If only I had super strength or super speed, I’d get this done myself!” But God had a message for Zerubbabel: “This isn’t your project.”
I hope we want to be involved in the work of God in the world. I hope that we have some Godly goal that we pursue. Most people will not be in full-time occupational ministry, but God has some mission for every person who calls themselves a Christian. I like to think of it as a micro-mission. You have a circle of influence where God has placed you and He wants you to be His ambassador there.
We should take ownership of whatever mission He’s given us. We should work to pursue it and do what we can to be successful at it. We want to see His kingdom come. But we also need to realize that the mission He gave you is really not yours. It is His mission for you. He has placed you there, and He wants you to be obedient, but ultimately, success or failure is in His hands, not yours. If I had the strength of Superman I could not more effectively serve Him. If I had the speed of the Flash, I would not then be a better servant of God. Because it is not by strength or by power that His work will be accomplished. It is by His Spirit.
God’s Holy Spirit is at work in the world and we are invited into partnership with Him! It’s an amazing thing that the God of the Universe wants us to be involved in His work. He doesn’t need us to, He wants us to help Him. Be obedient and leave the results to Him.
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
