It’s Cooperative

Trust is cooperative. Do what you are already enabled to do, and trust God to take care of that which is beyond your means.

November’s Awakening, Day 28

We all tend to go to extremes; some rely only on their own preparation and look for nothing more; others, as I say, tend to despise preparation and trust to the unction, the anointing and the inspiration of the Spirit alone. But there must be no "either/or" here; it is always "both/and." These two things must go together.

 —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Trust in God, Follow His Word, Be True to Yourself and Live with No Regrets unto God – But the secret to doing that is Knowing Yourself and Knowing who God is through His Word.

 —Patrick Baldwin, “The Perfection of Purity: A Message to My Daughter”

            God has blessed us with intelligence and numerous natural abilities and He expects us to use all that knowledge and our talents accordingly. Still, we are to seek His guidance and direction in all things as well. It is a completely cooperative effort—using everything that we are and have and yet relying on Him in dependence also. We are both physical and spiritual and the entirety of our being should be put forth in the best effort to bring about the desired result. We flounder if we try to do it all by ourselves, but also we must not sit back and expect God to do every task for us that He has already enabled us to do. The Christian life is always a balance of this cooperation. After all, it’s not just you, it’s not just God, it’s God in you.