Greetings again my Brethren. Let us continue to look at God’s divine enabling in our lives. I know it is hard to believe, but many Christians have a hard time believing it is God who enables us to do all of the great things we do for God. They mistakenly think it is from their strength, talents, and abilities (even the abilities and talents God gives them) they can minister the word of God, do all of their great works, or be used of God in any way. To be honest it is quite bizarre in way. I think the root of this wrong thinking is from the enabling we do in the lives of others and ourselves. People like helping other people with their problems, but sadly what one person receives as help (and yes we are to helps others) and they change while another person takes advantage of this help and does not change while continuing in an ungodly life style that the word of God condemns. Now here is the problem, the person giving the help thinks (wrongly) that they are helping someone, but in reality they are not they are enabling the person to continue in their ungodliness. I have seen this scenario sadly play out time and time again. Yes we are to influence people by our word and actions, but we cannot use ungodly means (that are against God’s and man’s laws) and expect to have God be glorified and there be a change for the good in the life of the person who is being enabled. Let us take heed to our words and actions when parenting and providing advice.
The writer of Hebrews gives us some great spiritual advice on enabling, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:1-3) These “witnesses” are the people what have gone on ahead of us and have kept the faith, they were true witnesses whose deeds, actions, and words from the past encompass about us as a cloud to encourage us to stop or “lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” In other words because of what and who we know of the past we must stop sinning. Please notice these are not the mortal sins (like committing murder, the BIG sins) or the venial sins (like lying, stealing, the smaller sins), but the ones that “so easily beset us.” The ones that we think are so insignificant and have no bearing with our walk with the LORD or our salvation. For the truth to be known the smaller the sin the more God closely scrutinizes us. we think it is the big sins, well God is looking at the little sins first because he knows if He can get us to hold the line with the little foxes (sins) then the big foxes will not be as much as a problem. We will have learned to guard our heart and not allow the tender work of God in our lives to be spoiled, cut, or even cast away. Solomon said, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.'” (Song of Songs 2:15) Jesus said it this way, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10) did you get that? How can you be faithful in the big things if you are not faithful in the little things? In Hebrew 1:1 it ends “let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”Well how do we do this? Verse two, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” Our faith must be in Jesus Christ and the finished work on the cross, in the grace and in the faith is where our justification over sin is found. Our sins are forgiven and we are justified through grace and faith. This justification then is the enabling we receive from God once we receive the free gift of salvation. Man cannot provide what we need to work for God (and yes we must do good works for God) this is the evidence of faith. James tells us, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:17-18) Not sure if it can be made plainer than that. James is not saying I will show you my faith by my works, but is saying I will show you my works so you can see what God, by faith, is doing in my life. James uses the faith of God, God’s enabling to do the works he does. Remember what Jesus said in the Gospel of John, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) And He means it.
Next month we will continue to look at God’s divine enabling as we look at walking circumspectly while continue to wait on God. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you.
Written by David Stahl
