Body
One of the most misunderstood scriptures in God’s Word is in I Corinthians 10:13 “he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” People twist that passage and say that God will never give us more than what we can manage. Really? Is that right? Wait a minute. Look around at our world. Look at the holocaust, death, murder, cancer, wars. People are always given burdens they can’t handle. Looking at the accounts of people in the Bible, God rarely interrupts someone’s life and asks them to do something easy or keeps them free from hardships. God did not ask Moses over to the burning bush and ask him to take on more sheep. He did not ask Noah to construct a rowboat. In Hebrews, an entire chapter (chapter 11) is about to a series of encounters where God asks people to take on highrisk assignments. God asked Noah to build an ark in the face of great ridicule; not even sure Noah had experience in boat building before this task. Read for a moment how the writer of Hebrews describes the people who God called to do something He required. “I do not have time to tell about (those) who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies…there were others who were tortured, refusing to be released..some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword...they (were) destitute, persecuted, and mistreated, the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:33-38). God wants to use us but doesn’t seem terribly interested in making sure we are comfortable, or that our life will be easy. He certainly didn’t make it easy for those who He called in Hebrews 11. They were asked to defy Pharaoh, take on the Midianites, spend a night in a lion’s den, walked in a fiery furnace, married a pregnant girl who claimed to be still a virgin, faced floggings, chains, and prisons. How does these experiences compare with people who say hat God will never ask them to something that is dangerous or scary, or things they cannot manage? Do you think that these people might have been scared? Probably. People also will feel fear when presented with the challenges that God may hand to us. In fact, if you have never felt fear, or doubts, you may have been sitting in your pew too long. God has promised us: “Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Like the Apostle Paul, we can say:” I can do all things in him that strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). What really matters about when God calls us to do something is not whether you feel adequate to do it. Of course, you will not feel adequate. That is why God promised that He will be with us in whatever we do for Him. Remember, we can do “all things through him who gives us strength.”
