Christians Who Ask God For What He Has Already Given
There once was a young man whose father had given him millions in a trust fund, but because of a tragic, sadly pathetic psychological condition, he could never remember it, and he saw himself as someone very poor.
This young man, Christian was his name, made matters worse by daily sending letters, emails, and texts to his dad asking him for loans, and when his dad did not respond in the way he expected, he tried not to become bitter about it.
It was tough for Christian, because in his mind, he was doing all he could to respect his dad, yet though he’d never want to accuse his kind old dad of any wrongdoing, he felt neglected.
Christian never could understand how his dad who was super rich did so little for him, and because of his mental condition never grasped the irony that he had millions in the bank himself.
Then one day, Christian all of a sudden came to himself. He remembered he was already rich and could not believe how out of his head he had been to feel and act poor. First thing he did was go to the bank and make a big withdrawal to help pay some bills that had been stacking up. How silly he felt that he’d been well off all along, yet had been a beggar instead. He also felt remorse, and went to his father to apologize for his deranged state of mind that was such a cause of needless trouble.
His dad forgave him, and said he’d known, and he’d been hoping for his mental healing. His dad was very happy, and so were all his friends and the rest of his family. Christian’s life was better from that day forward, and it was the beginning of a transformed life.
The Just Shall Live by His Faith
Do you know anyone like “Christian?”
It’s kind of a lame story of a lame fictional person, but the bigger tragedy is it’s a parable for how many a real Christian lives before God.
How so? When Christians ask God to give them what He has already given them, they leave Him in the awkward place of not being able to do more, and all sorts of misunderstanding happens in their lives as well.
What things has God given? A better question would be how much has He not already given in a “better covenant with better promises?”
2 Peter 1:1-4 – 1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Peter says we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness” and may be “partakers of the divine nature.”
Romans 6 says God included us on the cross that crucified Jesus, and we subsequently were raised to “newness of life.” Ephesians 2:6 says we were even seated at the right hand of God in Christ, and John 17 chronicles how Jesus had asked the Father to make His people one with Him in spirit.
A covenant-keeping Christian who walks in the light is one with full stature as a member of God’s own family.
Included in this, God promises us deliverance from sin (Rom. 6), a new power to hear His voice (Jn. 10), to have strength to walk as Jesus walked (1 Jn. 2:6) by faith and empowerment (Rom 8), and blessings over our circumstances (1 Jn. 5:4).
We’d be left with no lack.
So where’s the Disconnect?
A couple things shatter this picture and turn Christians who are declared “complete in Him” (Col. 2:10) into the spiritually poor (Rev. 3:14-22).
One, quite simply, is lack of faith. Faith is not what one says, it is what one believes and acts on. True faith is from the sprit, not a psych-job on the mind, or trying to repeat scripture verses until they sink in by some sort of mental osmosis.
The level of faith people have is proven in the quality of their relationship with God, and how they conduct themselves in life. This is true because God the Holy Spirit has been given to those who obey God (Acts 5:32) to enable them, carry them (1 Pet. 1:5), teach them (Jn. 6:45), and let them live lives far above what they could be naturally.
In this, God wants His people to be a testimony for Him (Jn. 13:35), and the real living proof that Jesus Christ lives, and is the Messiah (Jn. 17:21,23).
Another thing that short-circuits the promises and empowerment of God is having a fundamental misunderstanding of why we live, or what the New Covenant is supposed to be all about.
Simply put: The “apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:40-47) emphasized a flavor of Christianity that in too many instances is not being duplicated or sought after today.
The New Covenant is first Christ-centered, not self-centered.
It is all about living as unto God, and seeking to be “well pleasing” to Him in everything we do, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year (2 Cor. 5:9).
Wrapped up in this vision of God that His apostles sought to carry out is desire to clump together in assemblies of like-spirited believers.
1 Pet. 2:4,5, 9,10 – Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. …
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
The local church as Jesus Christ sought to build (Mt. 16:18) is a collective of spiritual power intended – as a single Christian’s life is also – to bring glory to God. This can be as few as two or more people in fellowship (Mt. 18:20), to hundreds or more. The most important thing is the Spirit of Jesus Christ pervades (2 Cor. 3:7-18) and these believers have a heart to obey God by the Spirit, who works in harmony with the Word of God.
If we’re focused instead on ourselves and our subjective and fleshly wants, likes, dislikes, the dramas of a shallow worldly existence, little wonder we do not walk in the fullness of the gospel promises! If we look at salvation as mainly an insurance policy, or our relationship with God as a means to attaining our goals, we’ve missed the point.
Ezekiel 14:1-5 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? 4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’
God requires absolute surrender, and we by the Spirit must put to death all that stands in the way, because 1) we are not our own, we are God’s, and 2) because we love Him, and want this blessed existence.
Rom. 8:12,13 – Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Your actions prove who you love, not necessarily what you say without backing it up with action (James 2:18).
What do you want? While God may forgive you for truly not having seen the truth, your life in many ways might also be a product of what your own mixed heart wants.
Remedy? God to God! Ask for repentance, ask for Him to open your eyes. Never let Him go. Our goal is to be separated from self and the world unto God – in a word “holy” – and ultimately to be “conformed to the image of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 8:29).
This is the only reason why a Christian lives. What are your motivations, and how is your life doing? Do you ask God to do in you what He already has?
If so, repent!
Ask God to show you the “bank account numbers” of the true riches in the Spirit of Jesus Christ you already possess. Understand also the combination to the safe is having a right heart as a sheep, and do not live as any other kind of animal, as God will never throw His pearls before swine.
Luke 16:10,11 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
