What will you give God in 2008?
Posted By Mike on January 8, 2008
What are you going to give God in 2008?
I was lead to this question by God during consecutive quiet times just before the new year. Allow me to explain. After Christmas I asked God what He wanted from me this year. Yeah, I know the easy answer – “Your heart!” or “Your life.” or several Sunday School answers. And these wouldn’t be wrong. But that wasn’t what I was looking for, nor was it what God wanted me to discover – at least I don’t think it was.
Instead God lead me to John 6:1-13. It’s a very familiar passage to many of us. Reading it we find that it’s where Jesus feeds the 5,000 (considering all that was recorded were men, estimates are upwards to around 10,000 people). Through this passage there’s a couple of unique lessons God wanted me to learn and I want to share with you as 2008 gets kicked off.
Trust God to provide for you
As we begin reading we are allowed to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with Philip: Hey Phil, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” But we’re also privy to the thoughts of Jesus – He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. You see, God didn’t expect Phil to provide for the people. As a matter of fact Jesus asked him a where question, because Jesus already knew the how. Jesus was simply testing Phil, just like He tests you and me.
Philip’s answer was about the means. . .the how. He responded to Jesus’ question, “No matter how much money we have, it won’t be enough to buy what we need.” Of course looking back we think, what was Phil thinking? This is Jesus. He could do whatever he wanted to! Yet, we often respond like Philip. Ever responded to God like Him, He asks something of you and the first thing you mention is how you can’t do it? He asks you to trust Him and the first thing you do is tell Him how you can’t do something for God.
When we trust God to provide whatever it is we need – peace, love, direction, fellowship, companionship, finances, solutions, etc. – we have to leave the how up to Him. Why? Because He already knows how he will provide. He’s just waiting for you and me to trust Him. Don’t fall into the “How” trap. That is a trap of faithlessness.
Surrender your stuff to God
I’m cleaning out closets and getting rid of a lot of stuff. See, I’m a pack rat. I hate throwing stuff away. Why? You guessed it, I might need it later. Right? You know what I mean?
Listen, God started this process in my heart last year and it’s a lesson I’m still learning – stuff is just stuff. It doesn’t do any good to hold on to it. If you’re thinking its about memories or value or whatever, let me assure you I have plenty of reasons to hang onto stuff. But God has reminded me it’s just stuff. The memories are in my heart and in my mind. They will never go away. And the value – Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21 that our hearts shouldn’t be set on the stuff of earth, especially things with monetary value. What if they all burned up in a fire? What would I do then? Where’s the value?
Instead, give your stuff over to God. Remember, though, stuff doesn’t just mean our physical goods. It means our abilities, our passions, our giftedness, our fears, our situations, our relationships. I told God I would turn my teaching abilities, my limited writing experience, my desire to read and study His Word, my ministries, my relationships, my marriage, my fears, my anxieties, my emotions (especially my anger and temper), my feelings all over to Him. Yeah, there’s some big things in there, but there’s also some things that I would consider little things or maybe not as consequential as others. That’s what God is waiting for you know?
Reading the passage in John we find a little boy gave up his 5 biscuits and 2 sardines. This was probably all he had. Barley loaves and fish were the food of the poor, so this wasn’t donated out of extravagance. It wasn’t like the boy said, “Here, take this, I’ve got plenty!” No, it was probably all he had. I wonder, was he the only person in the entire crowd that had food? If he wasn’t, then why didn’t others give up their meals? Probably for the same reason we don’t: It’s all I’ve got! If I give it I’ll have nothing. Yet a child said here, take it.
It’s like that with our stuff. God is wanting what you have. No guarantees. The boy had no guarantee that he would get any of the food back. But it didn’t stop him from giving it up.
Thank God for everything, even the small stuff
When Jesus received the biscuits and fish the first thing He did (after having the people sit down) was to thank God for it. It was all there was, nothing more. Just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Yet, Christ raised it up and thanked God for what He had provided. Jesus didn’t question God. He didn’t complain about what He didn’t have. He thanked God for the little bit they did have.
I have to say, this is the most difficult lesson for me to accept. I struggle with the stuff I don’t have. I complain, whine, cry, and plead with God for the stuff I don’t have – like enough money to pay bills, rather than thank Him for the house I have, the fact that I haven’t been late paying any of our bills, for a wonderfully supportive wife, clothes to wear, food to eat, opportunity to trust Him and grow in my faith, a loving family, I could go on, but there’s no need.
What about you? Do you complain to God for what you don’t have or thank God for what you do have – no matter how small or insignificant it appears to be?
Expect God to do the impossible in and through you -
When Jesus distributed the bread I think He knew that everyone there would eat well. John tells us that when they had enough to eat – i.e., when everyone was full – they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing? Watch Jesus lift up a handful of food and then watch everyone eat until they’re satisfied? OH MAN!!
Getting back to that little boy – I wonder if 5 biscuits and 2 sardines would have filled him up? Don’t know. But I do know he at to his heart’s content. I also wonder what he thought has he saw his “little” donation go farther and farther and farther and. . .?
Do you expect God to do the impossible in and through you? Do your pray believing? Do you surrender and trust believing? Jesus reminded us “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Do you want God to do the impossible in and through you? I tend to think there’s a lot of us who want the comfort and security we have now rather than risking letting go of it so we can He can bless us with an armful.
I’m expecting God to do something powerful in and through me this year. There’s a lot I could accomplish and do in my power, but I learning to want and desire the impossibilities of God. I hope you will, too.
Mike
Comments
Leave a Reply