Ministry-ment #5 - Limitations and Resources

Even those who have zero inclination toward matters of faith, God, religion, and spirituality acknowledge the triumphant spirit of the story of David and Goliath.  This biblical narrative has so entered into popular culture it is the go-to metaphor for describing impossible accomplishments, especially in athletic competition.  Everyone seems to know how the boy David overcame insurmountable odds to defeat the seasoned warrior Goliath.  We love it when the underdog wins.

Underdog-winning fosters hope.  If David could do it, so can I.  Our culture has seized upon this and created a whole industry based on the “if you can dream it you can do it” attitude.  Often, those who have achieved significant accomplishments in their lives re-enforce that mindset with their own story of against-all-odds success.  The mantra is picked up and chanted (sometimes in different words, but with the same idea):  “You can do anything you set your mind to.”

What a positive, motivating idea.  And sometimes it works!  Sometimes it is true.  

We often do forget, though, that the story of David and Goliath is not exceptional because of the outcome.  It is exceptional because of the grace of God.  Don’t get me wrong - giant slaying is an impressive detail on one’s CV.  But David’s success was not the product of an “I can do this” mindset or attitude.  It was because David acknowledged his dependence on God.  It was because God is gracious.

This is usually overlooked.  After all, do not the numerous stories of others who have won their own “David and Goliath” battles validate the statement, “You can do anything you set your mind to?”

No, they don’t.  

What about the even greater number of people who dared to dream good, big dreams and never see them realized?  What about all the people classified “Did Not Finish” despite a sacrificial effort on their part?  What about those whose great dreams were destroyed by social bias against them?  The quantity of people in the category of “dreams unfulfilled” is disproportionately large.  It is the overwhelming majority.  The field of broken dreams is much larger than the field of dreams.

We become confused when we hear the deceptively simple message of “Underdog Wins!’ because our own reality seldom aligns to that experience.  What’s wrong?  Why is our reality so often disconnected from the ideal?

Here is our fifth “Ministry-ment:” Thou shalt acknowledge the Lord thy God as the source of all resource AND limitation.

If God is God (and He is), then not only the accomplishments in life - especially the David and Goliath type - are from His hand, but also the limitations that seem to hinder our dreams.  (A quick caveat here - we must acknowledge the importance of faithful stewardship.  There is a difference between being foolish with the resources and opportunities God gives us resulting in a lack of accomplishment, and the limitations that God places upon us for purposes known only to Him.)  Scripture is full of stories of godly people upon whom limitations were placed, all for God’s purposes and glory.  Consider the man born blind.  His peers assumed it was due to sin.  Jesus said it was so the glory of God would be revealed (John 9).  Consider the Apostle Paul who tried numerous times to travel to Asia but was prevented by the Spirit of God (Acts 16).  Consider John the Baptist who had an amazing, impactful ministry, yet said, “I must decrease, and He must increase” (John 3:30).  Consider Isaiah who, after receiving a supernatural vision and commissioning, was told, “Go ahead and preach but be aware, no one will listen to you” (Isaiah 6:8-9).  The list goes on and on.  We would do well to listen to Solomon’s counsel:

In the day of prosperity be happy,
But in the day of adversity consider--
God has made the one as well as the other
So that man will not discover anything that will be after him. (Ecclesiastes 7:14-15 NASB)

The events in our lives are not dependent on our ability to dream or act or prepare.  We are dependent on the grace of God.  Whether we experience a depth of resource and opportunity or a burden of limitation, God is accomplishing His purposes.  Unlike the expectations of the culture around us, He does not measure “success” by outcomes of accomplishment, victory, and quantitative increases.  He looks at our hearts and values transformation in character, humility, gratitude, and joy.  God does not need more “wins” than “losses” as validation of success.  He only desires faithfulness, dependence, and loyalty.

William Carey, considered by many to be the father of modern missions, said, “Expect great things from God.  Attempt great things for God.”   Perhaps we could modify it to place greater emphasis on faith:

“Expect great faithfulness from God.  Attempt to be faithful to God.”

This is the essence of life in God’s Kingdom.  As His image-bearers, our greatest responsibility is to represent the King in His Kingdom and steward the resources of the Creator in His creation.  In other words, be faithful.  The outcomes are not dependent on our efforts or dreams.  They are reflections of His purposes and grace.