Impossibly possible.
Are you a revolutionary?
Are you someone who presence, attitude and conversation changes things?
Or do you look at your life and are overwhelmed by your smallness?
I tend to fall into the latter. After all what influence do I have. I am not as articulate or talented as I would like, and when I find myself in a moment if influence I never know what to say. Isn’t it therefore unreasonable for God to expect more of me than I can possibly deliver?
In fact when I read The Sermon on the Mount where Christ calls us to be social revolutionaries [no matter what century or suburb we find ourselves] I assume that he is referring to someone other than me, and so I overlook some of Jesus’ more daring comments. I then find myself beginning to ignore more and more of what Christ is looking for in my life – if I can ignore one thing he says it becomes easy to pick and choose what I like, this is a paralysing dangerous attitude to maintain as a Christian.
I am no-one of significance – I can do nothing, surely.
This is true but God can do everything using our nothing – this is even more true!
Do you remember father Abraham?
(He had many sons, many sons had father Abraham; I am one of them and so are you, so lets all praise the Lord!)
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Rom 4:18-21 NIV)
He was old, very old and Abraham and his wife had never had children. God then shows up in his life and promises the impossible. God promises that Abraham will become a father to many generations and that his descendants would become a great nation who would out number the sand on the sea shore. What a crazy promise to make to an old guy whose sexual libido may have faded! But God was serious. He made a demand on Abraham’s life which Abraham could not possibly deliver… unless God was with him.
The same is true in our lives.
We are called to be revolutionaries, but in ourselves we are not revolutionary. Therefore God’s call on our lives can only be fulfilled when we submit to Him, give Him the run of our lives. When this happens a revolution takes place; you will save money to give it away, you will smile more at people you pass, you will praise God for where you live, you will be generous in your forgiveness and eager to say who gives you have the strength to forgive. This kind of revolution is unstoppable and there is no authority on Earth that can threaten its resolve, not because are strong and determined but because our lives are established and secure on the impossibly possible promises of God.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21 NIV)
Are you someone who presence, attitude and conversation changes things?
Or do you look at your life and are overwhelmed by your smallness?
I tend to fall into the latter. After all what influence do I have. I am not as articulate or talented as I would like, and when I find myself in a moment if influence I never know what to say. Isn’t it therefore unreasonable for God to expect more of me than I can possibly deliver?
In fact when I read The Sermon on the Mount where Christ calls us to be social revolutionaries [no matter what century or suburb we find ourselves] I assume that he is referring to someone other than me, and so I overlook some of Jesus’ more daring comments. I then find myself beginning to ignore more and more of what Christ is looking for in my life – if I can ignore one thing he says it becomes easy to pick and choose what I like, this is a paralysing dangerous attitude to maintain as a Christian.
I am no-one of significance – I can do nothing, surely.
This is true but God can do everything using our nothing – this is even more true!
Do you remember father Abraham?
(He had many sons, many sons had father Abraham; I am one of them and so are you, so lets all praise the Lord!)
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Rom 4:18-21 NIV)
He was old, very old and Abraham and his wife had never had children. God then shows up in his life and promises the impossible. God promises that Abraham will become a father to many generations and that his descendants would become a great nation who would out number the sand on the sea shore. What a crazy promise to make to an old guy whose sexual libido may have faded! But God was serious. He made a demand on Abraham’s life which Abraham could not possibly deliver… unless God was with him.The same is true in our lives.
We are called to be revolutionaries, but in ourselves we are not revolutionary. Therefore God’s call on our lives can only be fulfilled when we submit to Him, give Him the run of our lives. When this happens a revolution takes place; you will save money to give it away, you will smile more at people you pass, you will praise God for where you live, you will be generous in your forgiveness and eager to say who gives you have the strength to forgive. This kind of revolution is unstoppable and there is no authority on Earth that can threaten its resolve, not because are strong and determined but because our lives are established and secure on the impossibly possible promises of God.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21 NIV)
- Andrew Carey
posted by Andrew at 11:20 am
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