Some more thoughts on the challenge of serving the Kingdom of God in our work when we do not know whether we will have an outcome that reflects the powerful presence of the kingdom of God or an outcome that reflects the not yet kingdom of God (see previous post).

First, these will be very different outcomes seen through the lens of having our work world reflect the Kingdom of God. One will be very successful and our work world will become significantly more like the Kingdom of God. The other will be a failure and our work world will continue to operate in opposition to God’s Kingdom despite our best efforts to bring a change. However, these different outcomes do not indicate which efforts God finds commendable or is pleased with. It is not necessarily the case that we experience failure in our efforts because there is something missing or wrong with our faithful efforts and that is why God does not make them successful. Hebrews 11;32-39 is a list of those who triumph through faith and those who suffer defeat. Yet the faith of those who suffer defeat is equally commendable. So, what is a failure in terms of accomplishing what we are attempting for the Kingdom of God could be a beautiful thing in God’s eyes, a pleasing and commendable expression of faith, equally (and possibly even more) deserving of “Well done good and faithful servant.“

Second, these failures may be pleasing to God, but they do involve suffering for us. They will certainly involve disappointment, can be embarrassing, and might result in significant losses for us or our company. One practical idea for dealing with the unknown outcome tension is to do a risk-reward analysis of the effort and its potential outcomes. Balancing the risk of a failed outcome with the reward of a successful outcome can help us to decide whether to proceed. If the result of a failed outcome is not that bad, then we should be more likely to proceed with our efforts, even though we do not know if they will be successful , and even if we are not totally sure that God is calling us to the effort.

But if the result of a failed outcome would mean significant loss and suffering for us or people we care about, that should cause us to pause. In that case, it would be prudent to ask God for more clarity if He really is calling you to that effort. God can be convincing if He wants to be. The higher the cost of a failed outcome, the more certainty I would want from God that He was calling me to that endeavor and it was not just a good idea that I came up with.

If God does provide this certainty, it does not mean that the failed outcome is no longer a possibility. What it means is that if the failed outcome occurs, and I and others are going through the suffering, I will be able to have confidence that we are on God’s path. I will not wrestle with the thought that I and others are suffering this defeat because I was following my own idea that God was not calling me to after all.

So, with a work effort for the Kingdom where success would yield a great outcome and failure would be a relatively minor loss, I do not need certainty that God is calling me to do it. The balance of the possible outcomes is enough to convince me that I should make the effort. Making the effort is a wise decision in that case. But when the potential loss in failure increases, the balance of the possible outcomes starts to tip toward not making the effort. This is not a lack of faith, but rather wisdom. This is why I would need a high level of certainty that God was calling me to the effort because that would not be a wise decision based on the balance of the potential outcomes.