Trusting in God’s Finished Work

In a world that prizes hard work and effort, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that everything depends on us. We celebrate the worker who endures long hours, the one who goes above and beyond. But when it comes to serving God and His kingdom, there’s a deeper truth at play—one that shifts our focus from sheer effort to faith in what God has already accomplished.

In John 4:38, Jesus said, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” This statement challenges our instinct to rely solely on our own strength. The harvest we step into isn’t the result of our effort alone—it’s the culmination of God’s ongoing work, one that began long before we entered the field.

Faith Over Hard Work

In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a farmer who scatters seed. After planting, the farmer goes about his daily life, sleeping and rising while the seed grows—though he doesn’t understand how. When the harvest comes, it’s ready because God has brought it to fruition, not because the farmer made it grow. This parable beautifully illustrates a truth we often overlook: the results we seek don’t come from how hard we work, but from trusting in God’s power to bring about the harvest.

That doesn’t mean we’re passive bystanders. There is still sowing to be done, still work to do, but the growth? The increase? That belongs to God. Our calling is to be faithful and diligent, but with a mindset grounded in faith, not striving. We’re called to a different kind of diligence—one that doesn’t conform to human standards of success or productivity. It’s a diligence anchored in trust, knowing that the Lord of the harvest is already at work, and that He will bring the increase in His perfect time.

The Problem with Glorifying Hard Work

One of the dangers of glorifying hard work is that it places the spotlight on us, the workers, instead of on God. When we start to believe that everything depends on our effort, we shift the focus away from the One who is truly in control. We begin to take pride in what we’re doing, forgetting that our labor is part of a larger story—one that God is orchestrating.

In John 5:17-19, Jesus says something remarkable: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” But He follows this by clarifying that the Son can do nothing by Himself; He does only what He sees His Father doing. Jesus—the perfect example of a servant—knew that His work flowed from the Father’s. He wasn’t working to prove Himself or to gain recognition; He was working in step with God’s will, knowing that His labor was part of a bigger plan.

This is the mindset we’re called to adopt. Our work isn’t about proving our worth or earning God’s approval—it’s about joining Him in what He’s already doing. When we approach it from this perspective, our labor becomes lighter. We’re no longer burdened by the need to make everything happen ourselves. Instead, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s plan is unfolding, and we’re simply playing our part.

Entering Into What’s Already Done

When we realize that we’re stepping into a work that’s already completed in Christ, our perspective changes. The pressure to make things happen on our own fades away, and we can labor with a sense of peace and purpose. We’re not starting from scratch; we’re stepping into a story that God has already written, a field that He has already prepared.

Until we embrace this truth, our work will always feel like an endless grind. But when we begin to see that the harvest is ready—because of God’s work, not our own—we can labor with joy and expectancy. We’re not the ones who make the harvest happen; we’re the ones who gather it in.

Jesus reminded us in Matthew 9:37 that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” This isn’t a call for more hard work—it’s a call for more workers to join in what God has already prepared. It’s an invitation to step into a harvest that is ready to be reaped, not because of our effort, but because of God’s faithfulness.

A Shift in Mentality

The Lord is calling us to embrace a new mentality—one rooted in faith rather than toil. This doesn’t mean we stop working. On the contrary, it means we work with a sense of purpose, knowing that the results don’t rest on our shoulders. We are partners with God, working in step with His Spirit, trusting that He is the one who brings the increase.

When we let go of the need to prove ourselves through our efforts, we begin to see the bigger picture. It’s not about us; it’s about Him. Our work is not the source of the harvest—God is. And as we align ourselves with His plan, we find that our labor is not in vain, but part of something far greater than we could ever accomplish on our own.

The harvest is plentiful, and God is calling us to gather it in. Not by striving, but by faith. Not by our strength, but by His. When we understand this, we enter into the joy of working with God—not just for Him—and we see the fruit of His finished work all around us.