Instead of concentrating so much on what God asks of you, think about how much he has already given you. God doesn’t hold anything back!
SHAUNA: Hi, I’m Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. And here’s a story from Joni that really hits home.
JONI: And it hits home in my heart. Because I have lived it; I’ve experienced it many times. Some time ago, I was forced to lie in bed flat on my back for a month in order to heal a couple of stubborn pressure sores. It meant canceling a few important appointments and missing some critical deadlines. And it meant days of the same old routine: a bed bath, dressing the wounds, leg exercises, breakfast, waiting, lunch, napping, dinner, waiting, maybe seeing a visitor, more waiting, being read to, prayers, and then sleep. Now, a routine like that is okay for, I don’t know, a few days or a week. But you stretch it out to three, even four weeks, and the four walls of your bedroom begin to feel suffocating. I didn’t want to lie there and watch a lot of TV because that would only make things worse. And yes, although I listened to good sermons on DVDs even that became tiring. Four weeks lying flat on your back is no fun. And at times it was hard to hold depression at bay. Unable to even lift my head on the pillow, I was tempted to think—no, I wasn’t tempted, I actually thought it—I thought, “Oh, God, come on, none of my Christian friends are facing these faith-challenging tests. Aren't you asking a bit much of me, a quadriplegic?”
I just bet you have asked God the same. “Lord, isn’t what you’re asking of me just a bit too much?” You know how it is—problems when they pile on top of one another, can really shake your faith. But let’s take a moment and examine that question: Just what does God ask of us? Well, Deuteronomy 10:12 sums it up neatly. “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Is that an answer or what? Because what does God ask of you? Well, how about everything. He asks for it all. And he has asked us to give it with all our heart and with all our soul. So, if you and I feel like a martyr faced with heart-wrenching trials, perhaps you and I are concentrating too much on what God asks of us and not enough on what God has already given us. That’s the key. We think way too much about what God asks of us, and not nearly enough on what God has already given us. And in order for us not to dwell on our own affliction, we’ve got think of a greater affliction—Christ and what he gave on the cross.
So, let me ask again: Is “everything” too much of God to ask of you? Well, think about what God has given you. How much did he hold back? Nothing! In fact, he gave more than everything. He not only gave us salvation, he’s given us all the benefits that come with it—citizenship in heaven, grace to sustain, peace that’s profound, Christian friends, provision, protection, answered prayers, comfort and peace and joy and hope, not to mention love. Romans 8:32 sums it up: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
If we're fainthearted, remember that God has promised us power to help us do all that he asks of us, even if it is everything. So, pray with me, would you? “Lord, you gave us your life and you ask me to do the same. Bless you for giving me the power to love and serve you with all my heart and soul. I pray by the power of your name, Amen.”
© Joni and Friends