Anybody but me, God

Living successfully in 2016 requires multiple sets of skills. Recently an elderly couple bought a new car. The switches and buttons that control the various features confused them. The technology that is a blessing to me is a challenge to them. A tidal wave of information waves over us requiring us to sort through it with the wisdom to know what to discard, what to ignore, what to digest, and what to trust.  Many are overwhelmed and as a result, scams abound and junk ‘news’ misleads millions! We live under a complex set of laws. One man only half-jokingly declared that the heavy weight of the law has made every one of us a criminal. Too many get tangled in the web of the law and find their lives changed, not by intent. The complexity of life has led to legions of ‘specialists’ who provide services to us – keeping our technology devices functioning, maintaining our cars, monitoring our health, managing our money, and advising us.

Do you ever feel incompetent?
Do you ever ask yourself, will I be able to complete this task successfully, manage to lead my children into adulthood so that they can live normal, well-adjusted lives, finish my life with a legacy of good, leaving a blessing for the next generation?  

 My greatest desire is to live in such a way that God is honored, that my life causes others to want to know Him. It is not a simple thing and can make me feel incompetent. Thankfully, the Scripture shows me that others have felt the same way.

Moses, when called by God to bring Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land, offered up one excuse after another for his incompetence. Basically, he said "Anybody but me, Lord." God persisted in the call, reminding Moses that he did not go in his own strength, that there would be others who would be with him and that He, the great “I AM,” would empower him for the job. A man who had dropped out of life for forty years to tend a small flock of sheep in the desert became the father of the nation, the Law-giver.

Joshua, called to take Moses’ place at the head of the nation, felt too small for the job. God asked him to look beyond himself. "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." (Joshua 1:5-7, NIV)

Gideon, the farmer, was asked to lead Israel in war against her enemies. He met God’s call by declaring that he was the lowest man, from an undistinguished family, from the smallest tribe. But, the Lord promised to be with him and to provide all that he needed to do the work. 

There are more, many more, people in the Scripture whose stories are amazing, who did great things, not because they were great but because their faith was set beyond their own skills on the Person of the Living God. Consider this, Christian. "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see." (Hebrews 11:1, The Message) Will YOU trust God for wisdom, for strength, for competence?  That’s not an excuse for laziness, for failure to learn all that we can, or to set aside self-discipline.  God calls us to diligence, to the work of the Kingdom. Jesus promises that "I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NLT)

As you face life today, as complex as it may be, with all the questions that you may have, take up the Sword, the Truth of the Word, and the Shield of Faith! Stand, listen, look, and follow Him to a life of victory.   Here is a word from the Word.  "We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:4-6, NLT)

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You Make Me Brave

 I stand before You now,

The greatness of Your renown

I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You,

King of Heaven, in humility I bow.

As Your love, in wave after wave,

Crashes over me, crashes over me.

For You are for us, You are not against us,

Champion of Heaven.

You made a way for all to enter in (to Your love).

I have heard You calling my name,

I have heard the song of love that You sing.

So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore

Into Your grace.

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

You call me out beyond the shore, into the waves,

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way,

You make me brave!

You make me brave!

No fear can hinder now the promises You've made.

Because of love, in wave after wave,

Crashes over me, crashes over me.

For You are for us, You are not against us,

Champion of Heaven, You made a way!

Amanda Cook

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