"God helps those who help themselves"

Subtitle: "What a bunch of crap." That was part of last week's sermon. It's a lie. It's not true. The crux of Christianity is that God sent His son Jesus to live and die and rise again for a people who could not help themselves. Humanity has a sin problem that separates them from God and pains Him so. God desires the problem fixed, so HE FIXED IT because we could not. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he helped someone who could not help himself. Whenever Jesus healed anyone, he helped someone who could not help themselves. But even in a more day to day sense, it's simply not true. Even though we know about grace, we still think we have to work with God, or give him our best effort for Him to bless or provide for us. That's just not true. This point was driven home for me recently. A couple weeks back I was feeling anxious about my finances because of my job change. I now work half-time for the Steve Wingfield Evangelistic Association and Trinity Church. This will mean a pay cut for me. Not a drastic one at all, but still a cut none the less. So I was anxious. I was worrying in the car one day and mulling over how I could come up with some more money. Ebay always comes to mind. (I think pretty soon I am going to start selling spiritual advice on Ebay, but that's for another post on this blog) All sorts of thoughts run through my head about other jobs, selling things, and other semi-legal/ethical options. And as I start to pray about it, I sense God reminding me that He doesn't need my job to provide for me. But I momentarily start to argue, which is always a dumb thing to do with God, and say, "But I have to do something." And the point was No, I don't have to do something. God is plenty able to provide without me doing a thing if He so chooses. And for a moment I just let it go and had a sense of peace, as I remembered that God is the provider for my family. I am not. And he doesn't need my job to do it. So I let it go and stopped worrying for the day. That was the morning. That afternoon a friend of Alyx's stopped over and gave us a Christmas card. She chatted for a few minutes and left. We opened the card after she was gone and there was a check for $500 dollars in it. I was in awe. This couple is not of great means. They are a military family and he flies Blackhawk helicopters. They are Christians and were just led by God and concerned about our finances. An incredible blessing! But immediately I knew this God's provision for us. And He drilled his point home to me in such a loving, gracious fashiion as only God could do. Thanks be to God my provider.