October 20 I Wednesday

Isaiah 59-61

2 Thessalonians 3

“I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”   

—Ephesians 3:16

The book of Ephesians deals with the biggest need we have in the spiritual realm and it is this: there are demands made upon us, obligations and responsibilities given to us for which many of us feel we simply do not have adequate resources. As a result, we often find ourselves living in a state of tension, especially in difficult situations.

       If we imagine a set of weighing scales designed to balance things, and we put on one side “responsibilities” and on the other side “resources,” we will find that in the book of Ephesians they balance. Now, we say, “surely the resources are much bigger,” and they are, but God ministers to us what we need when we need it—the balance.

       If we look at living the Christian life by the imposition of demands made upon us in Scripture, we will become frustrated and discouraged, because we soon discover we are unable to meet the demands. The marvelous thing is that the resource we have is the presence of Christ within us, and His presence is what creates the very appetite for wanting to meet those demands. We develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness and in Christ we are equal to it.

       Sometimes God may take us to the end of our own resources in order for us to discover our need for dependence on Him. So it was with the Israelites through their wilderness journey—every morning God fed them with fresh manna. It was just enough to nourish them for that day, no more, no less. God did not say, “Here’s a big pile of manna, and there’s plenty more where that came from.” No, “the manna is sufficient for today,” the idea being to teach the Israelites dependence on God for a fresh provision every day.

       Jeremiah, walking through the burnt-out city of Jerusalem after the Babylonian invasion, writes, “I remember my affliction and my wandering…my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:19-23). This is being aware of our inadequacies (my soul is downcast), yet strengthened in our inner being (for His compassions never fail), and being confident in God’s daily provision (they are new every morning). We are not to stockpile our blessings, but come to Jesus every day for a fresh appropriation and experience of what He already is in us—the balance for what we need this day.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for providing me with sufficient resources to see me through today. Help me to live each day dependent on You for a fresh provision. Praise You!