Fact or Fiction–God Will Never Give Us More than we can Handle
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
How many times has someone encourage you with the phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle”? Have you experienced the truth of this statement during your lifetime? Or, do you, like me and countless others, question the validity of this statement?
When Paul included this verse in his letter to the Corinthians, he clearly said that no temptation (to sin) will overcome us that would be greater than we can bear. But most of the time, we interpret this verse to mean than God will not allow us to suffer greater pain than we can handle during the death of a loved one, or a relationship, or illness, or a myriad of other afflictions. When we take this scripture out of context and replace it with our own meaning, instead of encouragement we become discouraged. Why? Because each of us has experienced a pain greater than we can handle by ourself, so for someone to tell us that God will not give us more than we can handle just does not ring true.
Rather than taking a verse that was dealing with sin, and using it to assure people that we will not suffer anything greater than we in our own strength can endure, wouldn’t it be better to listen to Jesus’ words that tell us in this world we will have trouble, but take heart, because I have overcome the world! John 16:33.
Look at both 2 Corinthians 1:4-10 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 which are far more applicable to our endurance during suffering.
2 Corinthians 1:3-10 (ESV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
I want to point out something in the 2 Corinthians 1:4 scripture you may have never noticed. When we suffer, especially because we are Christ Followers, that suffering is not only comforted by Christ, but we can take the experience of being comforted and share it with others. Is that awesome?
Additionally, Paul says that we are allowed to suffer so that we will not place our trust in ourselves, but in the Christ who has delivered us and will continue to deliver us. Can you see the difference between saying that a scripture about sin tells us that God will never give us more temptation to sin than we can handle, and a scripture about affliction, where Jesus says He will pour out His grace upon us to enable us to handle life’s events?
Using the scripture referencing sin to show God’s grace places the emphasis on us–God will not give US more than WE can handle, but utilizing the scripture about affliction places the emphasis where it belongs, upon GOD.
Prayer: Father God, we ask that you would help us rearrange our thinking, so that, as we seek holiness, we would be transformed to know, believe, and understand, that when our focus is on You, then we will have all of the grace we need to make it through this journey we call life. In Jesus’ name.
Peace to you,
Pastor Carol
Retiring from the Clerical Ministry, but not from ministering to People
For the past five years I have cherished answering God’s call into Ministry. I loved being a preacher, a pastor, and minister. I married people, buried people, and each week I endeavored to write a fresh, new sermon that would inspire and possibly convict. I would have loved to have continued in this capacity for at least five more years, but declining health convinced me it was time to retire.
When God calls us, I believe He calls us for life. So, although my “Seeking Holiness” blog has taken a back seat, I will once again pick up my pen and paper (or in this case, my laptop) and use this means to reach those who are seeking hope and try to provide a few words of encouragement.
Join me, each week, as we explore what it means to become an intentional disciple as we seek the holiness that comes only from the one, true and the living God.
Psalms 27:4 (NIV)
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
In Christ,
Pastor Carol
FOR THE LEAST OF THESE
Matt 25: The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
It is a beautiful winter day in Little Rock and we just finished serving breakfast to around 40 people under the Broadway Bridge. How cold was it? Hot chocolate spilled on the table froze and coffee droplets turned into crystals on more than one man’s beard.
My church is 16th Section UMC near Cabot AR and we have joined with Fishnet Ministries in Jacksonville for the past several years to bring a hot breakfast, a smile, and a kind word to “the least of these.” I am the pastor appointed to fill the vacancy left when the previous pastor died.
I have worked in this type of ministry for several years, serving food when it is Arkansas hot. But on the 8th of January, 2015 we could only hope for heat. The 22 degree temperature next to the Arkansas River pierced our down coats, sweats, and long underwear. This is not the coldest I have ever been, not even close. But as I stood at the end of the serving line watching one man’s runny nose freeze, God’s love warmed my heart. I realized I was catching a glimpse of the daily lives of some of God’s children.
One thing that stands out to me whenever I am blessed to be able to minister to folks who need a helping hand is their attitude. Many are cheerful and they receive “God bless you” with enthusiasm. And inevitably, instead of me blessing them, it us I who receives the greater blessing knowing that for one brief hour I showed love to God’s people.
Prayer: May we never become so comfortable with God’s blessings that we fail to share them with others.
You are my Hiding Place
(NRSV) PSALM 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
When I was a child I loved to hide. There was a cupboard in a duplex where we lived when I was four and I relished the coziness of that small spot. But as we grow older it becomes harder to find a good hiding place.
God has promised to shelter us under His wings (Ps. 94) or in the cleft of the rock (Ex. 33), to hide us to keep us safe. Safe from bodily harm? Not always, for as Jesus said in Matt 27, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.”
If we hope in His word, then we can trust in Him to hide us safely away from spiritual harm. Isn’t that the best kind of hiding place there is?
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for your word, and thank you that just as we hide your word in our hearts, you will hide us in your heart.
Resuming the Journey
After several years of not posting, I have decided to renew my interest in writing about scripture that I am reading and meditating upon. Many changes have occurred, including my becoming a licensed pastor in the United Methodist Church. Beginning Nov. 1, 2014 I was appointed as pastor of a two point charge, Ward UMC in Ward, AR and 16th Section UMC in Austin, AR.
For those of you unfamiliar with circuit riders, we are pastors who continue the great tradition of serving more than one church. In my case, I preach at Ward at 9:30 on Sunday and preach as 16th Section, a few miles down the road, at 11:00. Such an arrangement makes it difficult to manage the Sunday School hour in either church, so for now I am focusing on delivering messages that are God inspired and that will teach folks the importance of discipleship.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “(NRSV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
I love this scripture, because it reminds me that I can do nothing in and of myself. If I want to lead people in the path of righteousness, I must be directed to the pathway by God. If I want to remain on the pathway called holy, I must continue to acknowledge the one, true and the living God.
Today, the first day of 2015, I invite you to join me in my journey of “Seeking Holiness.”
Seeking Holiness 