It has nothing to do with me . . . The Journey (part IV)

 Do you ever catch yourself giving yourself too much credit? It happens quite naturally. I have a great wife and family. I got a new job. For us today it might be, "We just sold our home!", or "We can't wait to move in to our new home!" 

Honestly, it has nothing to do with me! Welcome to The Journey, part IV. Yeast is put into dough to cause it to rise . . . to swell up and give us the fresh, fluffy bread right out of the oven . . . can you smell it? It just takes a little yeast . . . maybe a pinch or two. It is the same with pride . . . it only takes a little bit to begin to swell us up and begin to think it is all about me.

Pride cause us to not see God at work. Yes, we did some things to sell our home (repairs, repainting, removing old items, re-staging, etc). We also did some work and research in finding a new right-sized home. However, we realize we had lots of help! God initiated the whole thing with a knock at our door collecting for a local food pantry. He put people in our life to remodel our home and allowed for a competition as to who would buy our home! To top it off, He pointed us to the home He wanted us to have in a rather unusual way for this market!

Now we trust He will make it all happen, not us! Why should we be believe anything else? He is working on a miracle!

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8:13-15)

 Jesus had just finished feeding thousands with just a few pieces of bread and fish, yet the disciples thought they did not have enough bread! We can never forget what God has done and will do! It has nothing to do with me!

How did I ever make it?

How did I ever make it? I often think of that as I grow older each year. My parents did not have a lot, but we had enough. While I did not go on summer vacations, never sat in a "new" car, and don't even remember special dinners (except for ordering a pizza now and then or making subs from items purchased at the local deli), I made it. I did not know that I did not have it all! I had enough with, G.I. Joe's, Saturday cartoons on our black and white TV, Baseball on the transistor radio, a basketball and a hoop in the backyard, a baseball glove, bat, football and friends, and two parents and a brother. 

My parents did their best to make sure we had enough to eat, transportations to school (a private church school too!), and a place to sleep. My room was small, but I had my own room! My parents were at every game until I started traveling with high school and college teams. My dad would spend hours making repairs to his cars on his own and my mom worked extra jobs to keep us in school and in sports. 

When I think of today's kids and lifestyles of families, I wonder: How did I ever make it?

I did not know it then but I know now . . . it was God! God had a plan for me and He brought me through. He provided our daily bread, year after year, month after month, day after day, even though I never really knew Him personally until my thirties. Even today, I find myself in awe of God . . . He still provides . . . health, strength, comfort, and yes, even cars and money!

Take these words to heart, do not just say them out of habit: 

    Give us this day our daily bread . . . (Matthew 6:11) 

Think on these words. Does He not still provide . . . every day?

Thinking forward . . .

 While the "today" is important, we must always be thinking forward as a Christ follower. God has long-term goals for each of us. It is not about our present comfort or our happiness today, but more so about the eternal purposes God intends for us.

 

  “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?” (Mark 8: 17-21)

While today's challenges are tough and we may have to gut them out, what God for our tomorrow is much better and worth today's efforts. Trust Him with tomorrow and continue to plow forward! Just as He provided yesterday, He provides for today, and He will provide for tomorrow. 

He has us . . . keep thinking forward!