Our life of faith is all about the impossible. (Luke 18:26-27) “Those who heard this asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’” Jesus had just spoken to a wealthy young man who thought that doing the right things in the sight of people was what was necessary to be right before God. The fact is, as human beings whose roots are firmly planted in the Garden and the sin of Adam, there is nothing we can do apart from Jesus to be right with God.
Once
we are born again, God will ask us to do the impossible for His glory. Come to think about it, even our rebirth was
impossible apart from the intervention of God, the Father, the work of Jesus,
the Son, on the Cross, and the inhabiting of the Spirit of God. Oh, the thought
of doing what God asks of us strikes fear in the hearts of most
Christians. For the rest, it at least
gives them opportunity to doubt. Like
when Peter walked on the water but then began to sink. (Matthew 14:29-31) “Then
Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But
when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord,
save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little
faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’”
Human
ability is not in question. Of course
you can’t do what God asks without faith and His mighty power. That is why Proverbs 3 says trust God and not
yourself. That takes faith. Do you remember when Jesus told the disciples
to feed the people? (Matthew 15:32-33) “Jesus called his disciples to him
and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me
three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or
they may collapse on the way.’ His disciples answered, ‘Where could we get
enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?’”
Jesus
was asking the disciples to do what was humanly im-possible (my emphasis). Imagine putting one chicken leg on the table
with your family gathered around to eat.
Impossible, for men. In the same
way, every day we are faced with doing the impossible. Going beyond ourselves to do what only God
can do through us by faith. And as soon
as we take our eyes off of Jesus and depend upon our own puny abilities, we
begin to sink. We wonder, “How can I possibly do this? There are so many
obstacles in the way.” The Bible is
replete with stories of the impossible, but I suspect that most if not all of
us think that those stories were for another time and place. They certainly
don’t apply to our lives. The thing is –
it’s the same God – the same world – just different people. It is me, not Peter
or the other disciples – it is just this disciple – or maybe you.
So,
what has God asked you to do that you have rejected as being impossible. Maybe something you are facing today. Something that you have decided is beyond you
and so you will not do what is so clearly the prompting of the Spirit of
God. Perhaps you need to re-think that
decision, or more correctly re-faith it.
Trust God. Walk by faith and not by sight. Nothing is impossible with God. Never has been and never will be. (Joshua
1:9) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
To do what I am suggesting you need to be strong in your faith. Courage is action in spite of your
understanding what the natural consequences could be. So what are you waiting
for?
“I (you) can do
all things through Christ who strengthens me (you).” – Philippians 4:13
Believe it – walk in
it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By
His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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