Getting the prepositions right

I have a proposition for you: let’s get the prepositions right. When we get the prepositions right, God gets the glory. Let me explain.

We don’t worship God by singing Him a song; we worship God by living His life through us. Yes, I said that right — living His life as opposed to living our life. We can’t live our life for Him. We’re not good enough to do that. We must have His life in us in order to please Him.

A little red flag should go up every time we hear or say, “We’re doing such-and-such for God.” “For Him” sounds like we are doing God a favor, but He doesn’t need any favors. He needs your life. Paul calls us “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). Most sacrifices are dead – all burned up on an altar. We are still alive, but we are dead to ourselves (that’s the sacrifice part) and alive to Christ (that’s the living part). We are yielded to God so that Christ can live through us by the Holy Spirit.

“Through Him” works; “In Him” works; “for Him” doesn’t. Even “with Him” is a bit off, because it puts God next to us — like we’re walking alongside each other. That isn’t it. God walked alongside people when Jesus was here. That was God “with us.” But now that He is gone, it is God “in us” through the Holy Spirit that He left us. Walking alongside is what we do. We walk alongside someone with Christ in us. That’s getting the prepositions right.

This is what makes this truth so powerful. It goes on all the time, regardless of what else is going on in our lives. We can be tired, depressed, weak, sad, even struggling to believe — doesn’t matter, because God is still using us.

It’s not what we do for God; it’s what He does in and through us that will make a difference in the world.