Crossing the Faith Frontier Requires RESOURCES
Forging into faith frontiers is never quick, cheap, or easy.
The challenge of moving into unsettled territory centers on our perceived need for resources: “What will I eat, what will I wear, where will I sleep?” Or, perhaps in our case, “If I say yes to God without reservation and He calls me away from what I know, what will happen next? And how can I know that it will all work out? What if saying yes means that my career has to change, or that I have to move to a difficult area for ministry, or that I have to love a difficult person? What if I don’t feel equipped or ready?”
It is right to perceive that frontier activity will be expensive. Every time people move in new directions, they find unexpected challenges. Think of the great frontiers of human history—sailing to the New World, settling the American West, exploring the Arctic, rocketing to the moon, someday launching a mission to Mars … Each “small step for a man, giant leap for mankind” requires massive resources, sometimes way beyond what even seems realistic.
Living by faith is like that as well. It will cost a lot. Bank on it!
So, where will all of it come from? The money it will take, the expertise it will require? And as we contemplate that, the light bulb flickers: “Oh, that’s why this whole thing takes faith!”
For us to move into our faith frontier, we have to learn how to trust God, who can supply us “from his glorious riches” in Christ (Philippians 4:19). We have to say yes before our supply lines are established, believing that He is our supply line. Will your yes to God require you to spend more, or love more, or serve more, or house more, or drive more, or share more?
Don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ . . . Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:31-33 NLT).
And that’s the real adventure of all this—seeing how God provides the resources we never thought we could muster, and then giving Him the glory for the victories ahead. When we decide to seek His kingdom, it means we say,
Lord, Your divine priorities are now my priorities; and as I invest myself and all I have in Your service, I’ll keep believing in You. My life is totally in Your hands instead of in mine.
- Have I ever said yes to God in a way that really cost me?
- How have I seen God provide for my needs in the past?
- Have I allowed worry about my earthly life to prevent me from taking steps of faith?
- What or who have I been viewing as the source of my resources?