God doesn’t need our help. I think He is more than capable of handling things on His own.
He doesn’t ask us to do things for His benefit, but for our benefit.
Often, it’s not to help Him.
It’s to help us.
God will never call us to do a job, without supplying everything needed to do that job.
I put it this way:
Where God guides,
God provides.
And, oh, by the way, God doesn’t really need our money. He already owns everything. Giving is just that: Giving. Is it really more blessed to give than receive?
A question for another time, but if you really think about why it is more blessed to give than receive, then you are well on the way to the answer. It’s not a question of what’s in your wallet, but what’s in your heart. Your giving will follow your heart. And, God doesn’t need a paper trail. He knows who gives. And, who doesn’t. He also knows who can’t, but wants to. And, He knows who can, but doesn’t want to.
And, oh, by the way, more often than not … what we need to “give to the Lord” has nothing to do with money.
Obedience is still better than sacrifice.
Wait … I’m just checking the list of shared principles we jotted down and shared in a previous post, which the great Bible heroes shared: Let’s see: Faith, humility, courage, obedience, perseverance, patience, they spoke boldly, they listened. Let’s see. I’m trying to see if any of these had anything to do with how much money they had. Let’s see: God used all of these great heroes in a mighty way, and it had nothing to do with how much money they had. Does this mean that God can use me, in a mighty way, even if I don’t have a lot of money? It seems that God is more interested in what’s in our heart, than in what’s in our wallet.
Too many times, we are more interested in what is in God’s hand, than in what is in His heart.
There is a phrase I’ve heard many times “Out in the world.” I remember the first time that I heard this phrase, I think it was in reference to a particular church, and how much “money they had.”
Then, the last time I heard this phrase, I was in a Hardware store, and there was a discussion about, of all things, professional wrestling, and in particular, the owner of a particular wrestling organization. The exact same phrase was used to describe how much money this man has.
I wanted to, on both occasions, just yell out, how wrong these people were … that one of the great lies is just that … a lie … that it’s not true … here it is … I’d like to dispel this rumor right now:
“No one has more money than God!”
The question is never, “What can you do for me?”
It should always be, “What can I do for you?”
Which reveals a servant’s heart-Jesus’ heart.
If you want to be like Jesus, then be like Jesus.
Not to be served, but to serve.
I put it this way:
Serve To Soar
To Soar, Serve
I understand the thinking behind the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” One day, we’ll share the story behind how that all originated.
I think, however, and this may not sell as many bracelets, or bumper stickers, or become such a catch-phrase “out in the world” as WWJD, but I think, that many times WWJD is not the real question:
The real question is: WWJWMTD
We know what Jesus did.
How great a prayer it is when we pray, “Jesus, what do you want me to do?”
“What Would Jesus Want Me To Do?”
Did we just “come up with another one?”
(Please note post/publication date of 5/6/13)
Blessings,
Ted