A draft model for working cooperatively with God
I want to be a ‘friend’ of Jesus, and work cooperatively with him, doing, as Jesus did, ‘as I see the Father doing’ (Jn 5:19) ; not relying on my own strength or resources to direct and guide my efforts. Meditating on this, taking insights from The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, I propose a model for apprenticeship and the natural equilibrium that results from leading an intentional spiritual life and working cooperatively with Jesus.
If I combine a sustainably disciplined life (intentional, focused, and not ’scattered’) with faithfulness in the areas of my life that I have say over, it yields the cooperative life with God that I yearn for, a life where I work with God and am led by him rather than leading myself. This also has the side effect of bearing fruit—it happens automatically, without my focus on it. If ‘good trees bear good fruit’ (Mt 7:17), then fruit is the natural by-product of a cooperative relationship with Jesus.
(PApp + DSust )n + GRule → (grace) PCoop + Fn
Where
PApp = the practice of an apprentice
- Faithfulness to Jesus in my sphere of influence, the small area of my life that I have say over (my ‘kingdom’)
- Being other-centered, unwilling to earn advancement over the sweat of someone else’s brow
- Faithfulness in the little things, the details of apprenticeship
- Looking at every moment for a ‘constant, conscious interface with God’
DSust = a disciplined life that is sustainable in the long term
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Being a disciplined, intentional person who:
- Has the right, sustainable balance of disciplines in their life (profiled by the HS and put into place after careful assessment)
- Takes the time and space to be with Jesus
- Sustainable—practices that take root and become habit in the long term
GRule = the rule of God in his kingdom
- The constant, loving desire of God to engage with us and expand the range of his Kingdom
- Not a variable
PCoop = the practice of working cooperatively with God
- Walking with Jesus every moment, learning to be led by Jesus in every detail of our lives
- The way of the easy yoke and light burden
- We realize this through ‘you have been faithful in the little things, now go and be in charge of my larger vineyard’ (parable of the talents).
Fn = the fruit of a cooperative life
And n = a multiplying factor that is directly proportional to PApp + DSust .
Any increase in PApp or DSust causes an increase in Fn over time
Critically, is dependent on grace as the catalytic agent for cooperative action and fruit. The model illustrates that cooperative action and fruit is dependent both on our action and God’s—Dallas Willard said “it is true that we can do nothing without God, but if we do nothing we will most certainly be doing it without God.” That is the holy tension here.
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“That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do [italics added]. It was based on God’s decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed…This is why the fulfilment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does.” -Romans 4:13, 16 (TM)
In this age of on-demand television, iTunes, fast food, and illusory “make-your-own-luck” materialism, help me to understand the mysterious truth, Lord, that in my apprenticeship to you I am entering into something you have already done. I am weary of trusting in my own strength, relying on a “can-do” zeal, and disillusioned by a lack of results from my efforts.
Teach me to trust you as Abraham did. Help me to live with the peace that comes from understanding your promises are not dependent on something I have done or will do, but are dependent instead on my trusting you and your ways.
Teach me to live in this tension—the holy tension of action vs. inaction—that I can do nothing without you, but on the other hand if I “do nothing” I will most certainly be doing nothing without you.
Incorporating the rest and peace that comes from this truth is, I believe, foundational to apprenticeship—but it does one more thing that I think is not fully appreciated—it gives us direction. When I trust God to fulfill his plan, I am set free to explore and seek what he is doing around me, and to engage in that with him. I am also set free from the tyranny of requiring fulfilment of my plans before I will fully engage with and trust God.
