Give and Take
Otherwise, you may say in your heart, “My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:17
My Power – It’s the name of the game in this life. Power. My power. If you’re going to win in this world, you better take all you can get.
So goes the thinking of Man without God. The world chases power. Politicians try to keep it, businessmen try to buy it, workers try to earn it, governments try to hold it, celebrities try to claim it. Everywhere human beings attempt to bring the world under their domination. They are living out the original mandate without the Originator. The result is a bastardization of Darwin – the survival of the fittest. Whoever has the most power; sets the rules. Moses reveals the horrible truth about humanity. We are all tempted to think that we did it our way.
Gain by my own hand is not God’s way. God designed the universe so that He gives into our hands precisely what is needed for us to accomplish His purposes. In God’s world, He gives and I receive. What I have does not come about because of my power. It comes from the only source of real power – God’s will for my life. If I am aligned with God’s plan, I learn contentment. I know that He has control over everything in my life. I am not anxious about what I have or do not have. His provision, and the timing of His provision, is perfect for me. I concentrate my life of seeking Him – and He promises that He will provide all that I need.
The world takes a different path. It is the path of ve khako khi (“my power”). It is the path of taking rather than receiving. Whenever my accumulation is based on the opportunity to take rather than on the possibility to receive, I step on quicksand. How do I know the difference? Easy. Taking fills a need that I have for myself. Receiving fills a need that God has for me. Taking is based on what I want. Receiving is based on what God wants for me.
When I take, I tell God that my needs outweigh His provision. My choice may be completely reasonable, legal and even appear spiritual, but it is ultimately my choice. Receiving is never about me. When I receive, I am not the active agent. I don’t initiate the gift. I often don’t deserve it. I am asked only to accept it because it is offered. I am the passive beneficiary of someone else’s care.
It’s easy to believe that God doesn’t provide. Because we are saturated with self-fulfillment theology, we act as though we have to do it ourselves. The truth is that every time we take, we damage ourselves and our relationship to God and others.
Today, ask yourself: “What am I trying to take? Why can’t I wait? Who is in control here?” You can chase life, or you can let God bring life to you. The gap between the two is enormous!
