Friday, June 16, 2017

I wish I could remember or find the exact wording. I'm sure it is better than mine. Warren Wiersbe once said something like, "Living by faith is trusting without scheming." I know all of us are tempted to scheme--to figure out ways of doing it on our own, but it seems to me that missionary work provides a particularly fertile patch for Machiavellian plotting. When I can't sleep I come up with some doozies.
Lately, I have been reminded, again and again, of my inadequacy. I heard another preacher, one time, talking about the first Beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3). He pointed out that the word for poor in this passage describes a particularly abject condition, "a zero with the rim kicked off." An honest evaluation of my situation brings me to that conclusion. My pockets are empty. 
In that situation, I can go one of two directions:
I can scheme. I concoct scenarios in my mind that would make Charles Ponzi blush. My mental blueprint would make Rube Goldberg proud (wait til later to watch this example). The problem is my convoluted scenarios have no basis in reality and are often just a bit on the wrong side of what is right,
Or I can trust God. One of the things that makes trusting so hard, is trust begins with an admission of my own lack of power, ability, and control. Children naturally trust because they know they can't. For we adults to trust, we have to get past the illusion of our own capability. The Apostle Paul wrestled with that in places like Romans 6 & 7, especially 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” (Romans 7:18, NASB95), and Philippians 3, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:7–8, NASB95)
I ask for prayer to this end, and I offer this Yoda-like exhortation:
Scheme not. Trust.