Our Love & His Provisions

I've been reminded recently of a refreshing message. Crazy enough, it's hit me coming from three different directions.

I was first reminded of the truth in the words I read on this blog about and from the book Primal by Mark Batterson:
“Batterson says Christians tend to “complicate” Christianity but Jesus Christ simplified it through the Great Commandment: Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. I will add, and I don’t remember him saying it in the book, that I don’t believe I can do any of those apart from the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to me through his atoning sacrifice."

A few days later, the sermon on Sunday was based around the story of Naaman, a king with leprosy (a symbol of sin) hoping to submit his monetary gifts in return for his healing from God. 2 Kings chapter 5 explains that he was even willing to prove himself, that as a king he could perform a great feat to prove himself worthy of the Lord ridding him of his leprosy, but Naaman is confused to learn from Elisha, the prophet, that he is asked to simply dip into the Jordan River seven times to receive the cleansing of his disease. After debating whether or not to take this as a rightful trade, Naaman is persuaded by his servants to complete the task, as easy as it was. And sure enough he is cleansed free on the seventh dip.
Still, Naaman presents some of his earnings to Elisha in return for the Lord's healing. "¹⁶But he said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused."

This was a re-enforcement that we are never asked by the One that matters to do any great feat, bring in a certain income, become first or the best in what it is we do or try to do. Because Jesus already did the incomparable great feat FOR US, in return we are only expected to submit our love "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind".

More from 2 Kings came to me from a Daily Encourager email - God's Provision by Steve Troxel

During the ministry of Elisha, a widow came to him for financial help. Creditors had threatened to take her two boys as slaves if she didn't pay her debt, but all the woman had left was a little oil. Elisha told her how to miraculously multiply her oil and pay her bills...and in the process bring great glory to God.
2 Kings 4:3
"Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."
The woman gathered empty jars and began to fill them from her one small jar of oil. She continued to fill the jars until each one she collected was full; "Then the oil stopped flowing" (2 Kings 4:6). The woman was able to sell the oil and pay her debt.

Notice that the oil stopped flowing as soon as the last jar was full. If the woman would have collected half as many jars, the oil would have stopped flowing when the collected jars were filled. And if she would have collected twice as many jars, the oil would have continued until every last one was full. God's provision was equal to the number of jars she collected - equal to the number of jars she believed God would fill.

In our limited understanding of God we often place artificial restrictions on what we think He can accomplish, and our prayers become reduced to what we believe is actually possible. In this sense, our low level of faith has limited what God provides. Peter never would have stepped out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus if confined to the realm of his own understanding. Peter left room for God to work beyond what he could understand.

Please do not read this message as a formula for worldly prosperity! God's Word never teaches that we are all to be rich with material wealth (this is an ugly distortion of His truth). But God desires for each of us to trust Him beyond the bounds of our best analysis, and to draw closer than what we believe is ever possible. Peter didn't need to understand how the atomic structure of water might be altered to provide stability, he simply needed to know with certainty that Jesus was calling; "Lord, if it's You, tell me to come to You on the water" (Matthew 14:28).

We serve an Awesome God - more awesome than we will ever comprehend; "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). We must never believe there's a problem too big for God to handle; "He is able to do immeasurably more..." (Ephesians 3:20). Let's pray with a faith that truly believes our Father is the Creator of the Universe, and let's refuse to place limits on God's provision.