“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT)
Have you noticed how often we confuse wants with needs? We have a flat tire and we “need” a new car. Styles change so we “need” new flooring or a new wardrobe. The list is virtually endless of things we want that we think of as needs. We don’t need nearly as much as we think, especially when it comes to doing God’s will.
For example, we use lots of excuses for not sharing our faith. Things like: “I don’t know the Bible well enough.” Or “They might ask me a question that I can’t answer.” Or “I don’t think well on my feet.” Or “What if they get mad and start yelling at me?” Our list of excuses is endless, and the sad part is, we sometimes actually believe them.
We too often forget God’s promise to never leave us and that we share in the power of HIS might, not our own. The Lord never gives us an assignment of any kind that He doesn’t equip us to carry out. Failure isn’t lacking in Biblical knowledge, stumbling with our words, having to admit we don’t have an answer, or getting yelled at, it’s not trying in the first place. It’s putting our trust in our own ability, not God’s.
Many times, in my life I’ve wrongly assumed the Lord would fully equip me for the task before I start, but I’ve learned that He often provides along the way. Think of the times the Lord fed the 5,000 and 4,000 men, plus their families. He didn’t give the disciples the proverbial “heads up,” He just asked them how they were going to handle the problem. The lesson grew out of their inadequacy, not out of their abundance.
We often learn more by failing than we do by succeeding. Each time I share my faith, whether it’s sharing the Gospel, or inviting someone to church, it’s an opportunity to learn and become better. Something that’s helped me be bolder is realizing I’m not responsible for the outcome. I’m responsible for obeying the Lord’s directive, but the result, how the person responds and what they do with what I’ve shared, is between them and the Lord.
We can’t make someone want a relationship with Jesus any more than we can force an addict to walk away from their “drug” of choice. What we can do is be the proverbial “starving” person showing another starving person where to find bread. Whether they want to live, or die, is up to them, but we have to help them understand following Jesus is a lifelong process, that like everything else we do in life, requires a first step, then another, and another as long as we live.
We don’t begin a relationship with Jesus, then coast until we die. It’s like marriage inasmuch as the honeymoon may be amazing, but what happens after that is largely up to us. We choose each day to invest in our marriage by being present, active, and investing ourselves in being a better husband or wife, or we let things slide until there’s nothing left worth fighting for.
Knowing, loving, serving, and growing in our walk with Jesus involves learning, listening, submitting our will to His, and carrying out His directives without regard to what it costs us. Elisabeth Elliott wrote: “God has promised to supply all our needs, what we don’t have now, we don’t need now.”
When the Lord gives us a directive, regardless of how ill-equipped we may feel we are, our only response must be: “Yes, Lord!” Whatever we need to carry it out He’ll provide.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 