I often wrestle with a core question: “Where do I stop, and where does God begin?”

It’s closely followed by others:
“Have I done enough?”
“Am I doing too much?”
“When is enough, really enough?”

These questions live in the tension between trust and effort—between what I can do and what only God can do.

Lately, I’ve been exploring how to navigate that tension using a couple of key elements from The Master’s Program. These concepts are helping me understand how to align my hard work with God’s greater work—and I want to unpack them with you.

The first concept is the growth process.
Growth isn’t something God does for us while we sit back and wait for a miracle. But it also isn’t something we accomplish on our own, saying, “I’ve got this, God—I don’t need You.”

Both extremes miss the point.

True growth is a partnership: it’s all God, and it’s all me.
Yes, He brings the power, the wisdom, and the outcomes—but He invites us to show up fully and engage in the process with Him.

So when it comes to spiritual and personal growth, it’s not 50/50. It’s 100/100. We bring our whole effort while fully depending on His strength.

The second concept we discuss in The Master’s Program is the Four Soils. Through His parable found in Matthew 13 and Luke 8, Jesus introduced the idea that the shared Gospel must fall on fertile soil in order for it to take root. In His parable the Gospel was planted on four soil types, only two of them could take root – the third and the fourth. Those who know Jesus, are in one of those two soils. So, how do I become a fourth-soil Christian who is fruitful, instead of a third-soil Christian who squanders my life? Jesus says that those in the third soil, choke fruitfulness by worry, wealth, and pleasure. If I’m allowing my anxiety, my money, or the pursuit of pleasure to guide me, I will choke out my fruitfulness, and fruitfulness is the essence of a Christian. But those in the fourth soil, who trust in the Word of God, can multiply their fruitfulness by 100, 60, or 30 times, depending on their work and the outcome of collaboration with Him. So, we want to be fourth soil Christians where our family life, Kingdom life, and career life are all integrated and producing a rich harvest.

Two concepts, right? Joining up in growth with God and understanding the quality of my soil. Is wealth, worry and pleasure the center of my focus, choking out my fruitfulness for the Kingdom? Or, is my soil rich, resting on the Word of God, and producing much Kingdom fruit?

I want to go back to my original question. “Where do I stop, and God starts?”

You see, in my life, I do a lot of work. And so do you; you’re a high achiever, and high achievers, push, push, push, because they want to get somewhere. But eventually the question becomes, “at what point is it enough?” When do I say, “I’ve done enough and I’m stopping work and waiting on God?” Well, now is when:

IT’S ENOUGH when I’ve made every effort, and I’ve kept my hope high and my faith is intact. If I’m creeping into anxiety or fear, I’m crossing the boundary and deciding, I’ve got to get this done, or I risk (fill in your answer here). I have moved away from faith and taken ownership of the outcome. I have overstepped the bounds. When my efforts to achieve a goal feel hopeless then I’ve done too much.

There may be a project you are working on and you’re thinking, “Ok, God, you need to show up now. You have got to do Your part beyond what I’ve done.” When you’ve done everything possible while still hopeful that He will take care of things you haven’t done you’re in the right spot. But if you overstep and say, “I have to keep going, I have to keep pushing,” because you are afraid, then you’ve blown past a collaboration with the Father.

Maybe there’s a question in your life with your children because they’re not living the way you want them to, or they’re not following the faith the way you’re praying they will. Well, you’ve got to make sure you’ve done everything you can, but with your hope still intact. And in your faith, you release your concerns to the Lord and say, “Ok, God, how this turns out is in Your powerful hands.”

These questions come up for high-achieving people who dislike being in situations where they can’t be sure of a win. In collaboration with and submission to Him, my priorities are His, and I understand His priorities are better than mine. So, I’m trusting in Him with all my effort joined with His power. The decision is to rest in that and remain in hope of being fruitful. And don’t let worry or anxiety choke out the possibility of being in the fourth soil.

Keep trusting Him with your hope high and connecting with the work He can do through you – without you trusting only in your efforts.

In your corner,
Jeff

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