The Quiet Ambitionნიმუში

“Tend Your Own Business”

God is in the business of redeeming, renewing, and restoring his creation. For us to tend our own business faithfully, then, means first and foremost to step back and allow him to carry out his. Let God cook.

Think of the story of the exodus, and particularly the crossing of the Red Sea. To this point, the Lord has been single-handedly bringing the Israelites out of Egypt; their only contribution is their stubbornness. They have dragged their feet and stiffened their neck. Even so, true to his promise, God has laid low Pharaoh and blazed a trail to freedom for his "firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22), the children of Israel.

But for all this—the plagues, the Passover, the escape from Egypt—Israel is not convinced, and Pharaoh is not dissuaded. It all comes to a head on the banks of the Red Sea. With the jilted king of Egypt and his host breathing his hot breath down their necks, the people start crying out and turning downright nasty. "Hey, Moses, were the graveyards so full that we couldn't have just stayed in Egypt and died, huh? Didn't we tell you this would happen? Didn't we say, Life is good here in slavery, just leave us be? Huh?" It's a remarkable bit of hubris, not to mention amnesia.

Be that as it may, Moses' response tells us everything about God's business:

"Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent" (Exodus 14:13-14).

God's business is deliverance, mercy, and rescue. This is his proper work; it is right there at the top of his job description. Divine monergism is the fancy theological term: “one-work-ism.” Theologian Paul Zahl calls it God’s “one-way love.”

The apostle Paul proclaims it again and again in his New Testament epistles, in particular Romans and Galatians. For instance, Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates his love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Remember: Jesus' dying words from the cross were not, "It's mostly done—can you take it from here?" but rather, "It is finished." Complete. Done. For you.

God is in the business of redemption, and business is good.

How does resting in “God’s business” enable and energize you to carry out your “business”?