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A few years ago, after several attempts to land a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles, I found myself at ground zero with no job, no income, and it was my time to pick up my son. I remember landing in Hawaii and before I even made it home from the airport, I had applied for five different jobs. I had no luck though, so I was forced to wait for another option.
Then, a seemingly great opportunity opened up. A guy approached me one day and asked if I would like to join his cleaning business. The job consisted of cleaning multiple churches and businesses, and the pay was pretty decent. After receiving my first paycheck, I thought to myself, “Wow! This isn’t so bad…” And I continued working hard for the next three weeks.
I noticed, however, that when it came time for the guy to pay me, he would always say, “Next week I will pay you.” In the end, the guy never actually paid me for nearly a month's worth of work. I was so frustrated. I longed for the day that I could see him to show his face my appreciation.
I constantly would think, “How could he do this? He knows I have a son.” He knew that I was a good guy just trying to provide for my son and I, yet none of that seemed to matter. Even to this day, I have never seen or heard from him again.
As frustrating as this situation was, I've realized that we project these kinds of experiences onto our expectations of God. Society has taught us that there is no one that cares about you, and that if you don’t do it all yourself, it will not get done. So because most of us can’t depend on the people that we’ve known our entire lives, it’s hard to imagine that God would be much different.
I was having a discussion with a gentleman a few weeks ago in South Africa. He told me, “My earthly father, who I could see, was never there for me, so it is hard for me to imagine a Heavenly Father, who I have never seen, being much different."
Isn’t it interesting that we'll place the same expectations on Someone who has never let us down because of people who let us down constantly?
Imagine if we ate a meal that we didn’t like and came to the conclusion that we should stop eating food altogether? Wouldn’t that be totally absurd? Why would we assume that all food is bad because of the experience we had with one meal? This is the same thing we do when we place the characteristics of an imperfect society onto a perfect God who doesn’t live in it.
Society has taught us to live by the phrase, “Every man for himself.” And that if we don’t adopt this mentality, we will simply be left out to starve. So because I worked for and devoted my time to a guy who left me empty-handed, I am supposed to think that devoting my life to working for God will result in the same thing. In His Word, however, God makes it clear that He and man are not the same.
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" - Numbers 23:19 KJV
The problem with most Christians is that they don’t know the God that they are supposed to be working for. So, they never give their all because of the PTSD they've developed from a broken, corrupted society. Since society has taught us, “Every man for himself,” it has become impossible for us to live for anyone other than ourselves, which goes directly against the lifestyle of someone who is following Jesus.
"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galations 2:20 KJV
The culture of the Kingdom is completely different from the culture of this world and the disciples had to leave everything behind and receive teaching from Jesus everyday in order to understand it. The mentality of the Kingdom is to stop worrying about yourself and focus on meeting the needs of others. Instead of making plans for our own lives, we are supposed to take no thought of it. We're supposed to focus on seeking the Kingdom of God and everything that most of the world works for will be added (given) to us.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" - Matthew 6:25 KJV
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6 :33 KJV
“Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." - Luke 12:33 AMP
The reality is that if I started working for Elon Musk tomorrow, I would never worry about finances because I know that he would come through for me. This assurance allows me to give my all to doing a job for him. Now we must ask ourselves — who is more dependable: Elon Musk or the God who created the parents of Elon Musk?
This is why when Jesus sent the disciples out He told them take no money belt, take no purse, take no handbag -- Because He understood that before the disciples could really give their all to God, they first had to see and know that He was reliable and dependable.
'Now after this the Lord chose and appointed seventy others and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come (visit). And He said to them, "The harvest indeed is abundant [there is much ripe grain], but the farmhands are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no provisions bag, no [change of] sandals; refrain from [retarding your journey by] saluting and wishing anyone well along the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this household! [Freedom from all the distresses that result from sin be with this family]. And if anyone [worthy] of peace and blessedness is there, the peace and blessedness you wish shall come upon him; but if not, it shall come back to you. And stay on in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. Whenever you go into a town and they receive and accept and welcome you, eat what is set before you; And heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come close to you."' - Luke 10:1-23 AMPC
So seventy men went out to do the will of God and took no money with them, and the report of those seventy grown men was that they never lacked anything. The bible isn't specific, but their journey could have lasted anywhere from a couple to several months.
And He said unto them, “When I sent you without purse and pack and shoes, lacked ye anything?” And they said, “Nothing.” - Luke 22:35 KJV
This is the God we serve. This is the God that we should all work for.
Question of the day: Have you allowed the flaws of an imperfect society to distort your image of a perfect God?