When Paul went to Athens one of his most famous stops was at the Acropolis. The Acropolis was the center of religion in Greek society. The building as a center of refuge and in it were housed the statues of every god that was known to the greeks. There was even a statue to “the unknown god” just in case they had missed one. The greeks, you see, wanted to “touch all the bases” to be sure that they received blessings from some divinity.

I have been guilty of a phrase that I would like to publicily denounce. I have said “work like it’s all up to you and pray like it is all up to God and everything will work out just fine”. That’s faulty theology. I apologize. I’ve been guilty of some false doctrine.

Listen, if you work like it is all up to you then you are laboring under false pretenses. Nothing is “up to you”. Everything is under the control of God. No amount of struggle or busy-ness is going to guarantee us success in our spiritual or financial or interpersonal lives unless God is in it. I’ve been reading John Piper this morning, let me share what he says on the subject. In his book to pastors entitled Brothers We Are Not Professionals, he writes “Salvation is a gift of God (Eph.2.8). Love is the gift of God (IThes.3.12). Faith is a gift of God (I Tim.1.14). Wisdom is a gift of God (Eph.1.7). Joy is a gift of God (Rom. 15.13). Yet as pastors we must labor to “save some” (ICor.9.22). We must stir up the people to love (Heb.10.24). We must advance their faith (Phil.1.25). We must impart wisdom (ICor.2.7). We must work for their joy (IICor. 1.24). We are called to labor for that which is God’s alone to give. The essence of Christian ministry is that its success is not within our reach.”

God wants us to gain joy from our labor but the glory and the honor and the praise are his. Nothing is ever up to me. All the strength that I have, the wisdom, the knowledge, the desire, the insight, the love, the understanding are all from God. Nothing is from me or because of me or due to me.

Remember Paul at the Acropolis. We left him there in Acts 17. Let’s revisit him a second and listen to what he says to the Athenians. “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.”

If all that is true, and it is, then the only way we can work as if it is all up to us is in and through prayer. Everything comes from him. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” I can do nothing without him. “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”

So, rise up. Let’s go to work. Let’s get on our faces and beg God for strength and health and wisdom and vision and knowledge and blessing and joy. And when the Father, who loves us and gave his one and only son for us that we might have eternal life, answers us and grants our request let’s tell the world that “He is the source of all joy”. He is the “light of the world”. He is “I Am” and I am not. “Let them see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Let’s go to work.