Giving God Control

Millions of high paying manufacturing jobs lost to trade agreements. Nearly every street in America has foreclosure signs on it. Corporate globalization is effectively pooling the worlds poverty rather than creating prosperity. There’s a church in every neighborhood and even with all this pain folks aren’t coming through the doors. We worry about our bills and the stuff we’re about to lose. As a nation we are reaping the fruits of what we have sown. We debate the cause of the evil, we point our fingers, we hope elected officials will fail in their plans to give away our rights. We’re angry that the things we relied on for our future have been pilfered. What are we supposed to do?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wished I had a burning bush. In my perfect world, I’d wake up, pour a cup of joe, step out onto my porch, look to the left and say, “So what’s on the agenda for today Lord?” The bush in the planter would light up, and God would give me my list complete with boxes for checking upon completion. What I have begun to realize is that he did give me a burning bush, I just couldn’t see the bush through the forest. Too many things, were obscuring my view and confusing my hearing, but the bush was there all along. Things like car payments, bills, a monthly mortgage that equaled the cost of my parents first home. Then add meetings, entertainment, other commitments, and my day was full enough without the bush! When a crisis strips me, the tree’s get cleared and I can see the bush. Waking up at 50 and discovering that your career experience, schooling, and training are useless can thin the trees. Losing the home and property that you’ve spent a lifetime providing for can thin the trees. One thing I know, is that God is in the business of writing our resumes. And he makes sure that we have the experience and expertise required to fulfill the purpose of His will, not ours…

Consider this for perspective. Do the angels sing when our credit score hits 700? Will Jesus have a wall chart with a star for every month we payed our bills on time? Does God have our property listed in his portfolio? Are these the things that we’ll have listed on our resume for a leadership position in the Kingdom of Heaven? Are these the things that occupy our minds? If so, I guess we know who we’re really working for. Ouch… I know. Please don’t mistake this as a call to ditch the principles of stewardship. It is exactly the opposite. I’m not as concerned with how or what I’m stewarding, as I am with for whom I’m stewarding. I do not learn easily God’s ways. His will is constantly obscured by my own. The good news is that none of my mistakes or miscues or sin for that matter, has been in vain. We were designed. Our role was written before the first second ticked off the eternal clock. Let’s answer these three questions:

1. Who’s in control?
2. What do we have to offer?
3. Who needs our help?

1. Write a paragraph or two detailing the things in your life that he has allowed. Write down the world events and the people in power that are devastating this world, and the ones that are fighting for it’s conformance to His will.(Highlight the ones that snuck in without his permission) Now, if God’s in control, which of these items, are you going to argue with?

2. List the things that you have that you consider to be of value. And by the way, there is a great definition for this found in a little book by William H. Danforth called I Dare You! On page 23 he writes and I quote, “Our most valuable possessions are those which can be shared without lessening: those which, when shared, multiply. Our least valuable possessions are those when divided are diminished.” Add to this list the things which God considers to be your greatest assets, He is after all in control…

3. Think about the people around you. How many of these folks would want what you have if they saw the Peace of God in your eyes, heard it in your tone, and felt it in your touch? People who have full cupboards, paid bills, loads of work, are considerably less likely to be desirous of a Savior, than are those who are in agony. C.S. Lewis address’s the issue in great detail in his wonderful book, The Problem of Pain. People are scared to death and more unsure of their future than in any era I can remember. There are churches on every street and not many folks are just walking into them. Why? Because we’re not doing what we were asked to do!so

Social Security, job security, retirement accounts, are all banking on something. What are you banking on? I know I would have answered that a question differently a decade ago. As a Nation, most of the things that we have relied upon, or placed our Faith in, are being proven false. Millions of men and women are hurting and searching for what we have, for the first time in 80 years. We are in the midst of the greatest opportunity in our lifetimes! And we’re moping around like we’ve lost something precious! Of all the moments in history that we could have been placed in, God saw fit to place us here, where his work is great! The enemy is wicked and strong, his talons are sharp and buried deep into the flesh of those we are called to serve, but I have no fear, because, of all the people in all the times, this is the moment we were designed for!

This guest post was from Rick Anderson. Find more about him at his website: RickAnderson.com.