This past weekend I had the joy of sharing some good news with God’s women and I think He wants you to hear it too. Here it is: YOU ARE RICH.
See, the enemy wants to keep you from being effective in making disciples, by making you think you don’t have what it takes. You don’t have the skills, or smarts, or abilities, or gifts, or talents, or resources, or time.
We say it to ourselves all the time: I don’t have enough time. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have the spiritual gifts or talents.
I don’t have what it takes. In other words, I’m poor. Any time we fixate on our own lack, we are speaking with our lives, “I’m poor.” I’m poor in time. I’m poor in money. I’m poor in talent or ability.
Truth: If you are in Christ Jesus, YOU ARE RICH!
Did you know that when you are “in Christ” — ALL THE RESOURCES of Jesus Christ are at your disposal? Did you know that the same spirit that lived in Jesus, LIVES IN US? Did you know the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us? Did you know we are called (and equipped and enabled!) to do the exact same works Jesus did? Did you know Scripture says, “Even greater works than these will you do.” That God will empower us to do the works of Jesus and even great works!
The disciples didn’t have money. They didn’t have extraordinary resources at their disposal. And yet, when they followed Jesus, and did what Jesus told them to do, limitless resources were channeled through their lives for the sake of the multitudes. We need only look at the well-known story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, right? Matthew chapter 14 gives us the perfect example.
There are thousands of people around, right? I mean, 5,000 is only counting the men. We’ve got women and children too, people! In our church, if we only counted men we’d say we have a church of about 20. Ha! But we really have close to 100! Truly. We have that many women and children! We’re probably talking at last 10,000 people. That’s an INSANE number of mouths to feed. You think it’s hard to keep your kids full? You think you have a lot of mouths to feed?
You think God is calling you to something that you don’t have enough resources for? I guarantee you are not called to something more outlandish than this. This is impossible.
God specializes in impossible. In fact, you usually know some ministry opportunity is from Him if it seems entirely impossible. I have a little story about an ARK that is a prime example. 😉
The disciples are quick to point out that they don’t have the resources they need:
“This is a desolate place, and the day is now over, send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” (V. 15)
Do you hear it? “We are poor.”
1. We are poor in location: “This is a desolate place.” See, Jesus, my location isn’t ideal. I don’t have a great house for ministry. I don’t have enough space. I don’t have the right table or dishes or environment or …. This isn’t the ideal place, Jesus. See, I’m poor.
2. We are poor in time: “The day is now over.” See, Jesus, there isn’t time. I don’t have enough time for this thing. The time that’s needed for something like this just isn’t available to me. The day is over, so to speak. See, I’m poor.
So they come up with their own plan, based entirely upon what they perceive as a LACK. “Send the crowds away to go into the village and buy food for themselves.” We don’t have the resources we need, so put them problem on the people. Make them take care of themselves. Make them hike back into town and use their own money to buy food. We don’t have enough, so there’s no way we’re taking on their problem.
They are literally making a plan based on being poor.
How often do we do that?! We construct a plan, a scheme, a strategy, based on our own lack of resources. We look at what we have, then plan. God does exactly the opposite, always. He makes the plan (that’s usually impossible), and then provides the resources to carry out His plan.
Jesus responds and tells them,
“No, they don’t need to go away. YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”
Notice Jesus doesn’t say, “No worries. I’ll take care of it.” It is His power, but He’s not taking the responsibility off of them, He’s putting it smack dab ON THEM. He says clearly:
“YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”
So they give reason #3 that they are poor:
3. We are poor in resources. “We have only give loaves here and two fish.” See, Jesus I don’t have the resources. I don’t have enough money to give this away, or host this thing, or start this ministry, or provide for these people. Ask a rich person! Why on earth would you ask me for this thing? See, I’m poor.
And Jesus responds so simply to them and to us:
“BRING THEM HERE TO ME.”
Bring what you have here to me. Bring me your terrible location. Bring me your lack of time. Bring me your empty bank account and tiny income. Bring me YOU.
“Bring all you have in your hands and put it into Mine. I’ll do the miracle.”
He blessed it, broke it, and HANDED IT BACK to them. And they were the ones who distributed to the masses. Do you see that?
Jesus Himself didn’t hand out a single piece of bread. Jesus didn’t feed the small child. Jesus didn’t look the lady in the eye and say, “Eat your fill!”
The disciples took what was in their hands, gave it to Jesus, then received it back into their hands, and distributed it to those in need.
All it took was handing it over to Jesus, for them to go from POOR to RICH. In an instant, they said, “WOW, I AM RICH!”
Do you know that every single one of us can say that too? When you take your pittance of an amount, your tiny salary, your teeny sliver of “free time,” your pitiful location, and you take this measly offering and give it to Jesus, He blesses it and hands it back and you look down and realize, “Wow! I am rich!”
{Praying you know and rejoice and act on this freeing truth this week. Thanks for reading!}