Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– E.M. Bounds
Human Strength verses God’s Strength
God declares in His Word that “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail” (1st Sam 2:9), but by His strength, so why does God say “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones?” Our feet are one of our most vulnerable places as far as what causes us to stumble. When God guards your feet, He is saying He will guide your feet and ensure you walk in the path that He show us. This may depend upon whether we are walking in obedience or not. It’s never about a man or woman strength’s that allows them to prevail; rather, it’s about those who lean on God’s strength. He wants us to raise the flag and surrender because only in surrendering can we find victory through Christ.
Human Resources verses God’s Resources
One of the reasons we worry about what we’ll eat and drink and wear, and might I add, worry about how we’re going to pay the bills, make ends meet, and not have enough for tomorrow, is because we’re human. I do the very same things. That’s our nature, but God wants us to give this all up to Him. Jesus says that if we seek the kingdom above all else, He will take care of our needs (Matt 6:33). Life is a lot more than things…life is about Christ and trusting in Him. God has unlimited resources; we have very limited resources. God is sovereign over all things; we can’t control what happens in the next minute; so why not rest in the fact that God our Father knows what’s coming tomorrow and wants us to know, everything will be fine because He’s been there and back and He’s not limited by space and time like we are.
Human Ability verses God’s Ability
I remember believing that it was my responsibility to save others in my family. Most of my family has never been brought to repentance and trust in Christ, at least as far as I can tell visibly (Although, God alone knows). I thought, “How can I get them saved? Isn’t it my responsibility?” Then I read John 6:44 where Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” That’s when I realized that it is the Father that draws us to Christ, not we to Him. This gives full glory to God because salvation is 100% a work of God. Remember, we were dead men and women walking (Eph 2:1-2), and the dead can’t contribute anything to their being revived, any more than Jesus required Lazarus to move a finger or blink an eye before He’d raise him from the dead, so it is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sins and we’re brought to repentance by the Father and begin to turn away from our former sins. For some of us, this takes longer than for others, but it’s not by our ability that we save ourselves or overcome sin instantly. Our salvation is fully a work of God (Eph 2:8-9), and that’s good news, because none of us are good enough to go to heaven on our own merit (Rom 3:10-11). It is Christ’s righteousness that we must put on (2nd Cor 5:21) to be able to stand before a Holy God.
Conclusion
As far as my family is concerned, all I can do is pray for them and share God’s Word with them and give them space and time to believe. God may be working in them. Perhaps He’ll use my prayers and your prayers to bring them to Christ; besides, it’s not my responsibility to save anyone; it is their response to God’s ability, but it is my responsibility to tell them (Matt 28:19-20). Pray for your lost family members, friends, and co-workers and that God would use you (and me) as a means to save some by the Word of God, with the Spirit of God, to birth the children of God, all for the glory of God.
