The Adequacy of Being Inadequate

Most of us struggle with feeling inadequate.  When we were in school we felt inadequate to sing in the high school musical or make a speech.  When we were looking for our first job, we felt inadequate to answer the questions during the interview.  When we were meeting someone we knew that was not a Christian, we felt inadequate to share the gospel with them.  The list could probably go on and on.  We try to do things to improve our self-esteem.  We take a speech class.  We get a book on interviewing.  We take an evangelism class at church.  Yet, when it comes down to it we still feel inadequate.  The truth is we are in adequate for most things in life.  After all, we are human.  We are imperfect creatures.  We are sinners.  Yet, with all that knowledge about whom we really are, God who is perfect and holy still asks us to do things for Him.  He calls us to serve Him and reach out to others.  There is a reason for that.  Read Philippians 4:12-13 and I Timothy 1:12-14.

¹² I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret [of being content]—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. ¹³ I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.(hcsb)

^12-14I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. (msg)

God is trying to give us a little bit of wisdom in these verses.  He is trying to show us that yes, we are inadequate in ourselves, but He does not expect us to do it on our own.  It will be God who is able to do it.  Strengthen and adequate are carrying the same meaning in these verses.  In a way this is a good thing to know…that we are inadequate.  It keeps us from bragging on ourselves and should push us to brag on God.  Therefore, we can now glorify God through our inadequacies.  What great adequacy there is in being inadequate for God.

Honestly Now

I remember growing up hearing the phrase, “Honestly now…tell the truth.”  Someone always used it to emphasize that they wanted the whole truth out of you when they asked you a question.  You especially said this, when it was something very personal.  Cruising around on the internet you can find a website that helps you ask your friends or friends of friends questions that help you decide what is best for you.  I am not so sure I would trust their answers.  People are always more worried about how people will respond to what they say.  So people tend to “pad” the truth or tell “white” lies.  Of course by God’s standard’s “padding” the truth and “white” lies are just lies.  As Christians we need to make the choice on whether we are going to tell the truth or tell lies.  If we are going to show God’s wisdom in our lives, then we are going to tell the truth.  Wisdom is doing what is right and honest.  Proverbs 12: 17 states, “Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness, deceit.” This verse instructs us to tell the truth. 

We can see that truth and wisdom walk hand in hand from Proverbs 23:23 , “Buy—and do not sell—truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”  We are further instructed that we need to obtain it and not get rid of it.  Once we start being dishonest, wisdom will cease.  So next time a friend asks you a question, choose to be wise in God’s eyes and tell the truth.  Honestly now, only true friends tell the truth.

Seeing the Opportunity

Have you heard the expression, “If it had been a snake, it would have bit you.” or “It’s staring at you right in your face.”?  I laugh because I say these types of things to certain family members who can’t seem to find things they are looking for.  Sometimes we are so involved in what we are doing or have spent so much time looking we just don’t see clearly any more.  What is obvious becomes unobvious to us.  It’s the same with opportunities in our lives.  We may have been looking for work for a long time and as rejections pile up and time passes by we may not even see a job opportunity that someone has told us about as a job opportunity.  We see it as another rejection or as a hopeless cause to pursue.  We miss the opportunity that God may have opened up for us.  Look at the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10: 30 -35.

 30 Jesus took up [the question] and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw [the man], he had compassion. 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

The first two men who came across the man who lay in the street wounded and robbed were supposed to be godly men.  One was a priest, the other a Levite.  Yet each one of them looked at the man and continued on their way.  Perhaps they figured he was going to die and it wasn’t their responsibility or their fault this had happened.  Perhaps they figured he deserved it.  Perhaps they figured he was just a robber lying in wait.  Perhaps they thought someone else would take care of him.  Perhaps they thought they had too much on their plate already serving God or meeting family needs.  Whatever the case they missed an opportunity to minister to someone in need.  They didn’t even stop to examine him to see what his needs were and see if they could help.  They missed an opportunity to be a witness for God.

We need to take instruction from these two men.  Take time to see things as opportunities.  Even a trial that comes upon us is an opportunity to serve God or witness for Him.  God always brings things in to our life for a reason.  We may think it will cost us too much time or money.  We may think it will over stress us.  We may think we don’t have the skill.  What we are forgetting is that God has placed many opportunities in to our life and expects us to respond.  He always provides the resources to respond appropriately.  If He is leading us, then we must respond.  We must not just walk on past the opportunity.  Follow God’s instruction to see the opportunities he lays in our path.

Wisdom’s Opportunity

How many teachers have you heard say, “There is no dumb question”?  Or they say,  “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Someone else in class may be wondering the same thing.”  It is true that you cannot learn unless you start listening to what you are being taught and then asking questions in the spots you don’t understand.  Yet so many will still sit back in class and be afraid to ask because they don’t want to appear dumb.  It’s not that you are dumb; it is just that you haven’t learned that subject yet.  No human being born as a baby comes out knowing everything.  It is a process.  We miss opportunities to learn by being embarrassed, scared or stubborn.  Without learning certain things we are probably missing further opportunities that would come because of our knowledge.  The next step to learning is the stage of wisdom.  Wisdom comes when we gain knowledge and then apply it and learn further through the experience.  There is nothing sadder than to first not seek knowledge or worse yet not to use that knowledge once it is learned.  We gain no wisdom and use no wisdom in our lives when we do that.  Once such example is found in Luke 10: 25 – 29.

25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  26 “What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.  28 “You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This gentleman was expert in the law of the Lord and he saw Jesus as a teacher.  He saw the opportunity to confirm that he was going to have eternal life.  Jesus tested his knowledge with a question.  The gentleman correctly answered.  He had learned well.  Jesus, however, saw down in to his heart.  He knew that knowledge was not being applied.  The man then wanted to try to prove he was good to go by asking Jesus a question.  Jesus told him the parable of the good Samaritan.  At the end Jesus shared some wisdom with him.  He told him to do the same as the good Samaritan.  In other words, Jesus knew that the man was not applying his knowledge and that he lacked wisdom.  With Jesus’ command the man was given the opportunity to gain wisdom. 

It was good the man appeared to be seeking Jesus’ wisdom with his question, but more important would be that he did not pass up the opportunity to apply the wisdom.  We need to do the same.  We need to spend time with Jesus in the Word and prayer and then actually apply what we learn.  Too many times we go to church and hear a message and return home to re-enter our same routines and never applying what we learn.  Remember to take the opportunity to seek wisdom and to apply it.

 

Handed Over

Sometimes we think that as Christians that we probably represent niceness and goodness to those around us.  We think that they will naturally be drawn to us because we represent Heaven and God.  Kind of like a “Touched by an Angel” episode.  Monica the angel would suddenly have a job somewhere and be accepted automatically by those around her.  If there was someone with a tough shell that she had to deal with she would speak some soft and sweet words of love to them and their exterior shell of hardness would melt.  Unfortunately it does not happen that way too frequently in real life.  It would be wonderful if it did.  Reality is we will face difficult people and difficult situations.  Sometimes it will be to the point where those people will be threatening our life.  Read Matthew 10:16 -20.

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. 17 Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.

Common sense is to know that you will not be liked and will face trials because of who you represent.  Jesus warned the disciples of this.  If we love the Lord and are walking in His ways and representing Him in the world as we witness to those we meet, they will not necessarily like us.  We remind them that they are not living the way they should.  We remind them that they are in sin or in rebellion to God.  We remind them that they have to make changes.  Changes are never easy.  Who wants to give up what they are comfortable with?  Pleasure usually comes with sin, and we lovers of pleasure and self-indulgence.  It is easier for those living the way of the world to get rid of you by being mean to you, or threatening you or even finding legal ways to get rid of you.  From Jesus time until now men have been making laws or twisting laws to fit their needs of the moment.  Even Jesus was drug through six illegal trials.  The leaders were so against him that they twisted what they could twist and broke what laws they could break.  The same thing goes on today.  The public passes a proposition that is on the side of God and a few men who want to live their lifestyle use another part of the system to stop the proposition from happening.

So don’t be surprised at what you might face as a Christian in your work place, neighborhood, town and government.  It’s just common sense that if they didn’t like God himself, they won’t like you.  Just keep plugging along doing what God wants, and He will take care of you the best way that is needed.

 

Encouragement in the Storm

You see several types of responses out of those who have come through a severe storm.  Some are shaken and fearful.  Some are angry.  Some are thankful.  Some come out with a new compassion for others and view on life.  I recently watched an interview with Gary Hunley, Missouri Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Unit Leader, who lost his home in the Joplin Tornado.  He lost his home, but he found an answer from God on a previous prayer.  He received a new found compassion for victims of disasters and now new he could relate better to what they go through.  He felt he would be able to minister to them with much more understanding.  God increased his faith and gave him purpose in the storm.  He knew even after this tragedy in his own life that he could still serve God and others.  The disciples grew in their faith, as well, when they were placed in to the middle of a storm in Luke 8: 22-25.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The disciples saw their Master calm the storm.  They learned from Jesus that they just needed to have faith.  They learned that Jesus cares for them and would protect them.  They learned that Jesus would get them through the storm and help them to make it to their destination.

Encouragement comes from going through the storm and seeing God work.  It will grow our faith.  We may have had little faith at the beginning of the storm, but once we see God take care of it, we will be stronger in faith.  It may sound strange, but look at the storm hitting in your life as an opportunity to see God work, an opportunity to grow in faith, and an opportunity to witness to others.  This might help encourage you as you enter the storm with a new purpose in mind.

 

What’s the Master Doing?

We spend years going to school and spend that time learning from our teachers.  We look to them as knowledgeable and experienced.  We trust their opinion.  We may go to a trade school to learn a special skill.  We expect that our trainer will teach the tricks of the trade.  We want to walk away from any learning experience prepared to be able to do a job or handle life better.  It should be the same thing in our spiritual life.  We should go to “school” at Sunday School, Worship Services, Bible Studies, Discipleship classes, time with fellow Christians expecting to grow and learn and become better prepared for our lives and our walk with the Lord.  The disciples spent 3 years with the greatest teacher there ever was.  As a matter of fact, they called him the “Master”.  They were learning from Him so that they could reach and teach others about God.  Jesus could use anything to teach.  He taught several lessons in Luke 8: 22-25.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

I want to focus on just one of the lessons He taught while He was in this boat with the disciples.  You might say they were silent instructions.  Pay attention to what our master is doing when the storm hits.  He is at peace and rest.  He does not let the storm bother Him.  He knows He can take care of it. The disciples on the other hand are beginning to panic.  They know the storm is bad and they begin to fear they are going to drown.  They seem to have forgotten who they were with.  After all they were following Jesus, because they thought He was the Messiah.  Yet here He was asleep.  If they really believed that He was who they thought He was, they should have realized that the Messiah was asleep and not even bothered by the storm.  That fact was a pretty big hint that it was probably all going to be ok.

This silent instruction from our Master is a pretty good one for us to pay attention to, as well.  If we believe that we are now heirs of God and children of the King, then we should be confident that God will take care of us.  We need not be afraid even when the worst storms roll in to our lives.  God will calm the storm when it is time.  We just have to have faith to ride the waves with Jesus.

Just Get in the Boat!

Have you ever wondered why God asks you to do some things in your life?  They don’t always seem to make sense or seem to have a purpose.  They may seem out of place or not at the right time.  They may cost you time or money.  They may cause you to make major life adjustments.  They may come at a bad time.  The action God asks you to do may actually bring on hardship, yet for some unknown reason God wants you to do as He asks.  After reading a couple different versions of this particular Bible story, I wonder if the disciples wondered what Jesus was up to, when He asked them to go across the lake.  Neither story seemed to say why Jesus asked the disciples to get in the boat and go.  Read Luke 8:22-25.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Even though the disciples don’t appear to know why they were asked to go to the other side of the lake, they seem to just cooperate and do it.  As you can see by the story, things got a bit rough and scary, but ended safely.  You have to ask yourself “What made them get in the boat?” If you were friends with Jesus would you just get in the boat because He asked?  It was probably their relationship with Jesus that allowed them to just trust and get in the boat.  They didn’t stop to worry about the future.  They didn’t have to know what lay ahead of them in the lake or on the other side.  They simply heard the request and started out after the goal of reaching the other side.

Wisdom is to hear God speaking to you and to respond without question.  Wisdom is just to get in the boat.  What we learn and experience along the way is secondary.  What is on the other side is secondary.  What is primary and foremost in God’s eyes is that we just get in the boat and obey.

A Seat At the Table

When I was a kid a read a book called “The empty chair” by Bess Kaplan.  It was a book about a child learning to deal with the death of her mother and the new step mother.  The mom’s chair was now empty and for the daughter it still continued to represent her mother.  As Christians we need an empty chair to remind us that God exists in our lives.  A seat should exist at our table of life that helps us to realize that God is right there with us.  Sometimes because of God’s invisible nature we forget that He exists in our lives.  We forget that when we accept Jesus in to our heart He goes everywhere with us from then on out.  The problem is that we don’t physically see Him so we have a tendency to just go where we want, do what we want and say what we want.  If we stopped to analyze what we were doing and saying, we might realize that some of those things Jesus would not approve of.  The prophet Isaiah reminded the people of Israel of the same concept in Isaiah 40:27 –

“Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert: “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”?”

Israel was acting like God couldn’t see what they were doing.  In truth God was seeing everything and was disgusted.  He gave them multiple prophets and warnings to give them a chance to come around and live godly, but eventually He had to deal with their sin.  He had to give them a physical reminder that He was there and that He did care about their lives and actions.  He brought the enemy down on them as punishment.

Common sense should tell us that the God we believe in knows and sees everything.  We, like Israel, cannot hide our ways from Him.  We need to put a seat at our table to remind us physically that God is here and a part of our lives.  We need to maybe look at that empty seat in the theatre or that empty chair in the living room or that empty guest chair at our desk as the spot where Jesus sits.  Then maybe we would use more common sense and not do things Jesus would not approve of.

Soaring

Have you ever been on “Soarin’” at Disney’s California Adventure or Disney’s Epcot Center?  Great simulator attraction based on flying over the countryside.  I just love that feeling of flying, even though it is just a simulation effect of visual, motion, air on the skin, etc.  I love the view that brings of the beautiful scenery.  I just wish it lasted more than 4 minutes and 40 seconds.  It brings a sense of freedom, adventure, excitement and relaxation all at the same time.  In some ways it is re-energizing to my soul.  I would love to be able to run right off the end of the ride back around to the front of the line and ride it again.

I think we all need to experience those sensations and feelings in our life.  Sometimes our everyday life can be draining to us physically and spiritually.  Then there are those extra difficulties in life that can further drain us.  We are just wiped out.  We sometimes don’t feel like we have the strength to go on or to face one more minute of living with the chores and the problems.  We need to be revived, encouraged and strengthened to continue what seems like the uphill climb in life.  God has given us very clear and easy instructions on how to do this in Isaiah 40:31 –

“…but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

Many times what really drains us is the fact that we are doing everything in our own strength and we are trying to accomplish it all ourselves.  We see a financial problem…we try to get a loan or sell something to pay the debt.  We see an adult child struggling with drug problems…we try to take over their lives and stop the abuse.  In reality what God instructs us to do, is to actually trust Him to take care of the problem.  We need to go to Him and ask for His answer.  Sometimes that means we need to be patient and wait for Him to respond.  Instead we just jump the gun and take the bull by the horns.  As time goes by we become discouraged and drained.  We need to trust that God will do what is best and we need to wait on Him.  Don’t push to make life easier, let God do the pushing.  Don’t flap your arms trying to fly through the mess.  Let God be your wind and just put out your arms and soar!