There Is Enough
There Is Enough
There Is Enough
There Is Enough
Even successful leaders are sometimes tempted to believe that there isn't enough. We can start to think, "God is holding out on me—I need to take things into my own hands."
How many times have you said, "I wish I had more... (fill in the blank)." Was it time, money, or maybe another type of resource? Was it more control or power? Does not having enough cause you fear or anxiety?
Even successful leaders are sometimes tempted to believe that there isn't enough. We can start to think, "God is holding out on me—I need to take things into my own hands." There are many ways to try and take control. Just google (yes google is now a verb) how to have more of whatever it is you're after. You will find thousands of articles, tips, and people who have a solution. Many of those solutions will actually cost you more of the very thing you fear you don’t have enough of. That’s not to say there is not some wisdom in those solutions; however, we will never find lasting relief from fear and anxiety in a self-help blog.
Rosamund Zander and Benjamin Zander, authors of the best selling book The Art of Possibility, explain that life is full of possibilities—you must simply choose to look at your life in a new way. They say that from this fresh approach your problems (including lack of resources) will fade away. They explain that the best way to do this is to focus on the possibilities surrounding the situation rather than slipping into the default mode of measuring and comparing your life to others.
Now, while they have some good practical advice and interesting insights into the human condition, Rosamund and Benjamin mislead readers by claiming life is your own invention and people simply need to choose to live a life of possibilities.
While it is true that you have endless choices, your life is certainly not of your own making. There is a God who made you and loves you. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). This power is Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). God provides endless resources that compensate for what you lack. He not only gives you everything you need in this life, he also gave you His son so that you might live in abundance now and forever (John 10:10). The Zanders have a point about choosing to see more possibilities, but the possibilities we seek should not be ones that we make up! You, like all human leaders, will run into the end of your personal imaginative power. And then what?
Wisdom From The Source Of Endless Possibilities
Since Jesus is the author and source of our life and hope, let’s see what He says about our limits, fears, and worries.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you–you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” - Luke 12:22-34
Trust
From these verses, we can have full assurance we will have enough resources to cover everything we face in life. We can look at nature and see God provides for the birds and animals. And we can trust He will do the same for us. We can see this by looking back at our own lives and see how He always provided for our needs. We can trust that He knows our needs even better than we know them (Matthew 6:8).
Give
We learn advanced math in these verses. We see that subtraction leads to more — more hope, and an eternal life of abundance. The more we let go of what we think we must hold tightly, the more our hope in the next life increases. Therefore, we give what we cannot keep to transform our hearts toward a life of abundance that we cannot lose in Jesus.
Rest
We have no reason to worry about whether there will be enough of anything. We can rest our hearts and minds and be free from worry. God freely provides everything for this life and the next. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all will also graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32). God’s promises to lead His people to abundance and rest. This allows us to realize that we do not want the resources we deserve. We want far more. We want all of what God provides for those He loves forever!
How many times have you said, "I wish I had more... (fill in the blank)." Was it time, money, or maybe another type of resource? Was it more control or power? Does not having enough cause you fear or anxiety?
Even successful leaders are sometimes tempted to believe that there isn't enough. We can start to think, "God is holding out on me—I need to take things into my own hands." There are many ways to try and take control. Just google (yes google is now a verb) how to have more of whatever it is you're after. You will find thousands of articles, tips, and people who have a solution. Many of those solutions will actually cost you more of the very thing you fear you don’t have enough of. That’s not to say there is not some wisdom in those solutions; however, we will never find lasting relief from fear and anxiety in a self-help blog.
Rosamund Zander and Benjamin Zander, authors of the best selling book The Art of Possibility, explain that life is full of possibilities—you must simply choose to look at your life in a new way. They say that from this fresh approach your problems (including lack of resources) will fade away. They explain that the best way to do this is to focus on the possibilities surrounding the situation rather than slipping into the default mode of measuring and comparing your life to others.
Now, while they have some good practical advice and interesting insights into the human condition, Rosamund and Benjamin mislead readers by claiming life is your own invention and people simply need to choose to live a life of possibilities.
While it is true that you have endless choices, your life is certainly not of your own making. There is a God who made you and loves you. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). This power is Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). God provides endless resources that compensate for what you lack. He not only gives you everything you need in this life, he also gave you His son so that you might live in abundance now and forever (John 10:10). The Zanders have a point about choosing to see more possibilities, but the possibilities we seek should not be ones that we make up! You, like all human leaders, will run into the end of your personal imaginative power. And then what?
Wisdom From The Source Of Endless Possibilities
Since Jesus is the author and source of our life and hope, let’s see what He says about our limits, fears, and worries.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you–you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” - Luke 12:22-34
Trust
From these verses, we can have full assurance we will have enough resources to cover everything we face in life. We can look at nature and see God provides for the birds and animals. And we can trust He will do the same for us. We can see this by looking back at our own lives and see how He always provided for our needs. We can trust that He knows our needs even better than we know them (Matthew 6:8).
Give
We learn advanced math in these verses. We see that subtraction leads to more — more hope, and an eternal life of abundance. The more we let go of what we think we must hold tightly, the more our hope in the next life increases. Therefore, we give what we cannot keep to transform our hearts toward a life of abundance that we cannot lose in Jesus.
Rest
We have no reason to worry about whether there will be enough of anything. We can rest our hearts and minds and be free from worry. God freely provides everything for this life and the next. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all will also graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32). God’s promises to lead His people to abundance and rest. This allows us to realize that we do not want the resources we deserve. We want far more. We want all of what God provides for those He loves forever!