Our Limits

“Even perfection has its limits, but Your commands have no limit.” (Psalm 119:96 NLT)

Nothing shouts “LIMITS” like aging. I remember playing football with friends when I was first in ministry and one of the guys said to me: “I didn’t think Pastors were supposed to run that fast.” Now the fastest run I make is to the bathroom. Everything, even AI has its limits.

What limits you? It’s ironic that some people have learned to maximize the use of the resources they’ve been given, while others squander their time like it has no end. One day time will run out and when that happens, we’ll all stand before a perfect God to give Him an account of how we lived our lives – how we invested our time, money, energy, intelligence, and other gifts.

God equips people with exceptional skills and abilities, everything from intelligence that is used to build a nuclear weapon to the one(s) who will one day soon (?) find a cure for Alzheimer’s and other debilitating diseases; and others to have a body that can run a mile under 4-minutes or hold their breath for 24+ minutes.

Why do you suppose the Lord makes us so different? I think of the parable Jesus told we often refer to as the Parable of the Talents. “He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities.” It’s evident from this parable that the Lord is the Author of our limitations, but why?

Could it be He knows us better than we know ourselves? I have a sense that the Lord knows who He can trust to invest their talents for Him and who will not. And no, that doesn’t mean He only gives superior “gifts” to those He knows will become His followers. There are geniuses who don’t have an ounce of common sense, and who invest themselves in pursuits that grossly dishonor the Lord.

Then there are people of very average intelligence who become remarkable men and women of God. The issue isn’t with what measure we are given, but the point of the parable shows it’s the measure we’re willing to invest to glorify our Master.

Rick Warren wrote: “Sadly, as human beings we’re not very adept at recognizing our limits. We constantly overestimate our abilities and underestimate obstacles and how much time it will take to do something. On top of that, we live in a culture that constantly tells us, ‘You can do it all! You can have it all! You can be whatever you want!’ But it’s not true. You can be all that God wants you to be, but you cannot be whatever you want to be. There are limits in your life.”

One of the things the Lord is teaching me in this season of my life is that I have a choice. It’s the same choice you have, which is: “What will you do with what you’ve been given? There are days I have very limited energy, so, I want to invest that energy in ways that will honor the Lord and bless others. Sometimes the best use of my energy is to write, but other times it’s to help my wife trim plants and bushes or vacuum and help her clean.

The Lord never says to us: “You need to be like so and so!” He only says, “Do your best with what I’ve given you. Be the best ‘you’ you can possibly be.” That’s what I’m seeking to do in this season of my life, how about you? Have you learned to harness your energy to maximize your usefulness to your Master?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊