Skip to main content

Everything We Need

 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (II Peter 1:3) 

Last Wednesday’s word was “stealth,” and I used it to describe the manner in which little bits of bad attitude, all dressed in fun fur and looking harmless, were creeping in, popping up, and otherwise be stealthy in their approach.[1] One of the more effective bits of mood muppetry involves a rather typical before breakfast prayer for wisdom, strength, courage and all other things that I’m sure I’ll need by the time I eat breakfast.

I tend to prefer not to say, “And God said,” but if He didn’t, then some part of my mind that He has managed to educate did. The question of just how much courage, wisdom, and strength I needed to eat breakfast, walk the dog, and write a blog post. Really. Do I lack sufficient wisdom, strength, and courage to handle what life throws at me today?

Now, yes, this is a way for me to connect with God first thing in the morning, a method of turning the key in the ignition to get my engine running. Yes, it’s certainly better to confess that as a fallen human, I’m likely to need each of those at some point, and praying for them in advance isn’t a bad thing. But what God or my God-trained mind asked was along the lines of, “Who told you that you don’t have enough wisdom, strength, or courage? How much wisdom, strength, and courage do you really need?”

And the answer from the fallen side of me follows Oliver to the headmaster’s table, holds up a bowl and says, “Please, sir, I want some more.” No a good part of that fallen side leans forward from my flowerpot and says, “Feed me, Seymour.”

I find myself, once again, facing an old foe… “Not Good Enough.” God has promised that He’s already provided all I need for live and godliness, but that’s not good enough. I need to feel strong, courageous, wise, etc. It’s not good enough because I’m not as wise, strong, or courageous as …pick your superlative example, but the key is that it must be superlative. It’s not about having enough courage; it’s about having more than enough, more than the next guy…. In other words, it’s not about God meeting my needs, it’s not about faith, it’s not even really about courage, wisdom, and strength; it’s about greed.

Ouch. But a diagnosis is the first step to a cure.


[1] In case you haven’t guessed, this was written on Wednesday, the same day that “stealth” was my word. I’m trying to get ahead to make traveling less stressful. I may yet obsess on these images, but since they’re helpful, that’s OK.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more