Post by Cindy on Apr 27, 2017 9:50:06 GMT -5
Many of us often feel inadequate for many different reasons. We may feel that we don't have the intelligence necessary to do the things that others can do, or to understand the things we'd really like to be able to. We may feel that because we're "fat" or "too skinny" or because of the color of our skin that others won't like us, or that employers won't hire us. We may feel that we don't have the talents or abilities necessary to do a job that we'd like to apply for, or that because of a disability that we're unable to perform the way we think they'd expect us to. For all these reasons and many more, we get sidelined and stop going forward on the path the Lord has marked out for us. We lose opportunities for a better job, for friends and fellowship and sometimes even for a wonderful marriage. What does God say about this?
God actually has quite a bit to say about this. He doesn't want us to live this way. He even told us that He came so that we could have an abundant life. He wants to free us from these fears and wrong ideas. To do that, He tells us in His Word how to overcome it all. First, through Paul He tells us how we're to live this life now that we're saved. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) What exactly does that mean though? It means that we need to change our focus. If the Lord has given you an opportunity for a better job but your afraid to take it, it's because you're focused on yourself and what you think you can or can't do. But this scripture tells us that we're not to live that way any longer. Instead our focus is to be on Christ and what He can do. So whatever your situation is, you don't look at it and think, "I can't do that because...", you look at it and think, "Christ can do that because He can do anything and He dwells in me and will do it because He loves me." Jesus can and will do all that needs doing and saying. Your job is simply to trust in Him, not yourself.
But what about our worries when they come up? Again, it's all about trusting in Christ, having faith in Him instead of yourself. That's why Jesus told us to go to Him when we were burdened with worries, problems and concerns. ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30) Many people now days don't know what a yoke is. A yoke is a device used to join two animals together. For instance it's used to join two oxen together so they can pull a load that's too heavy for just one of them. Jesus is saying that if we will allow Him to be yoked or united to us, that He will carry the heavy burdens, the problems and our concerns for us so that our burden will be light. He means that He will take care of those problems and worries so that we don't have to. All we have to do is concentrate on walking along beside Him while He takes care of everything for us. Then, in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus again tells us that we no longer need to worry because He will take care of everything. He reminds us that God is in control, and that no matter how much we worry, it's not going to change a thing, so why do it? Instead we need to trust Him to take care of us and know that He will do so because He loves us and gave Himself for us, just like we're told back in the original scripture of Galatians 2:20.
Honestly, it's all about remembering where our focus should be. Once we are saved, Jesus dwells within us and He will do whatever needs doing. We no longer have to be concerned about our looks, our abilities or disabilities, our knowledge or lack of it or anything, because if He has given us an opportunity, then He will enable us to do what needs doing to attain it.
But what about the times when we've tried that and we didn't get the job or whatever it was we were attempting? That too is answered in scripture. God is in control, not us, not employers or companies, not other people, even though they think they are. When we don't get what we went after, it's simply because it's not what God has for us to do right now. We were not wrong to make the attempt, that's always a good thing to do because we can't always be sure what the Lord wants us to do. So when an opportunity presents itself, we get cleaned up and put on our good clothes and go for it and do our best, knowing that Jesus will be doing it for us.
Why do we get cleaned up and do our best? Because Jesus is our Master and Lord and we're told that we should do all things as though for Him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24; see also Colossians 3:17) And, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Finally, we've also been told that once we are saved we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) so no matter what we're doing or where we are, we are representing Him, not ourselves. This simply shows us even further that we are not living for ourselves any longer, we're living for Christ. Because we're living for Him, we must trust Him, have faith in Him, to do what He has promised. He has told us that He is now dwelling within us and that He will handle everything, therefore we trust Him to do exactly that. We need to keep reminding ourselves that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
There's another thing we need to keep in mind as well. We often worry that other people won't like us. Because we are saved and we will often be around people who are not saved, this is bound to happen. What we need to realize though is that the reason other people have a problem with us is not really because of anything to do with us, instead it's because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. That's what they're reacting to, and that's what they don't like. They don't like realizing that they're a sinner, and the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sins when they're around us. I don't mean that we say anything at all to them about it. We don't have to. That's just what the Holy Spirit does, and their sin nature reacts violently to it. (John 16:8) Jesus tells us about this in John 15:20–25 as well as other places. So when people treat us badly we can know it's likely due to the fact that we're saved and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. (that is of course assuming that we are living our faith and not living like the rest of the world). Knowing this, we can have compassion for them and pray that the Lord will open their minds and hearts to the Truth and save them. We can do for them what the Lord did for us and forgive them because we know that at one time we were just like them and that it's only because of God's grace and mercy that we are now saved and no longer live that way.
Earlier I said that Jesus was dwelling within us, and then I said the Holy Spirit was dwelling within us. Which is it? Actually, all three persons of the Trinity dwell within us once we're saved! “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20) The hardest part of being a Christian often seems to be remembering that it's not about us, it's about Him. We need to get our minds off ourselves and remember that we are here to allow Him to live through us now. He is our Master. Our job is simply to trust and obey.
God actually has quite a bit to say about this. He doesn't want us to live this way. He even told us that He came so that we could have an abundant life. He wants to free us from these fears and wrong ideas. To do that, He tells us in His Word how to overcome it all. First, through Paul He tells us how we're to live this life now that we're saved. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) What exactly does that mean though? It means that we need to change our focus. If the Lord has given you an opportunity for a better job but your afraid to take it, it's because you're focused on yourself and what you think you can or can't do. But this scripture tells us that we're not to live that way any longer. Instead our focus is to be on Christ and what He can do. So whatever your situation is, you don't look at it and think, "I can't do that because...", you look at it and think, "Christ can do that because He can do anything and He dwells in me and will do it because He loves me." Jesus can and will do all that needs doing and saying. Your job is simply to trust in Him, not yourself.
But what about our worries when they come up? Again, it's all about trusting in Christ, having faith in Him instead of yourself. That's why Jesus told us to go to Him when we were burdened with worries, problems and concerns. ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30) Many people now days don't know what a yoke is. A yoke is a device used to join two animals together. For instance it's used to join two oxen together so they can pull a load that's too heavy for just one of them. Jesus is saying that if we will allow Him to be yoked or united to us, that He will carry the heavy burdens, the problems and our concerns for us so that our burden will be light. He means that He will take care of those problems and worries so that we don't have to. All we have to do is concentrate on walking along beside Him while He takes care of everything for us. Then, in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus again tells us that we no longer need to worry because He will take care of everything. He reminds us that God is in control, and that no matter how much we worry, it's not going to change a thing, so why do it? Instead we need to trust Him to take care of us and know that He will do so because He loves us and gave Himself for us, just like we're told back in the original scripture of Galatians 2:20.
Honestly, it's all about remembering where our focus should be. Once we are saved, Jesus dwells within us and He will do whatever needs doing. We no longer have to be concerned about our looks, our abilities or disabilities, our knowledge or lack of it or anything, because if He has given us an opportunity, then He will enable us to do what needs doing to attain it.
But what about the times when we've tried that and we didn't get the job or whatever it was we were attempting? That too is answered in scripture. God is in control, not us, not employers or companies, not other people, even though they think they are. When we don't get what we went after, it's simply because it's not what God has for us to do right now. We were not wrong to make the attempt, that's always a good thing to do because we can't always be sure what the Lord wants us to do. So when an opportunity presents itself, we get cleaned up and put on our good clothes and go for it and do our best, knowing that Jesus will be doing it for us.
Why do we get cleaned up and do our best? Because Jesus is our Master and Lord and we're told that we should do all things as though for Him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24; see also Colossians 3:17) And, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Finally, we've also been told that once we are saved we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) so no matter what we're doing or where we are, we are representing Him, not ourselves. This simply shows us even further that we are not living for ourselves any longer, we're living for Christ. Because we're living for Him, we must trust Him, have faith in Him, to do what He has promised. He has told us that He is now dwelling within us and that He will handle everything, therefore we trust Him to do exactly that. We need to keep reminding ourselves that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
There's another thing we need to keep in mind as well. We often worry that other people won't like us. Because we are saved and we will often be around people who are not saved, this is bound to happen. What we need to realize though is that the reason other people have a problem with us is not really because of anything to do with us, instead it's because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. That's what they're reacting to, and that's what they don't like. They don't like realizing that they're a sinner, and the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sins when they're around us. I don't mean that we say anything at all to them about it. We don't have to. That's just what the Holy Spirit does, and their sin nature reacts violently to it. (John 16:8) Jesus tells us about this in John 15:20–25 as well as other places. So when people treat us badly we can know it's likely due to the fact that we're saved and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. (that is of course assuming that we are living our faith and not living like the rest of the world). Knowing this, we can have compassion for them and pray that the Lord will open their minds and hearts to the Truth and save them. We can do for them what the Lord did for us and forgive them because we know that at one time we were just like them and that it's only because of God's grace and mercy that we are now saved and no longer live that way.
Earlier I said that Jesus was dwelling within us, and then I said the Holy Spirit was dwelling within us. Which is it? Actually, all three persons of the Trinity dwell within us once we're saved! “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20) The hardest part of being a Christian often seems to be remembering that it's not about us, it's about Him. We need to get our minds off ourselves and remember that we are here to allow Him to live through us now. He is our Master. Our job is simply to trust and obey.
!!
