Rely on God, not yourself

Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a 19-year-old young man who loved Christ deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He’d never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing, or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he’d experienced, and he replied, “I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I’m beginning to lose my grip on my day-to-day dependency on Christ.” Paul spoke of a time of trouble in Asia in which he was “crushed and overwhelmed” (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). Then he wrote, “As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God” (v. 9 NLT). And God wants to bring you to that place also. Yes, He wants you to use the gifts and resources He has provided, but His desire is that you rely completely on Him. Only then can He provide everything He desires to give you, because then you will be open, ready, and mature enough to receive it. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear [reverence, respect, obey] the Lord” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).