Good ol' American Self Reliance I once heard a pastor say that American believers don't give God a chance to provide for their needs, because we are too quick to do it ourselves. The attitude of self reliance illustrated by our leader's comment on jobs is a hallmark of American beliefs and traditions, but it runs counter to the teachings of the Bible.
Hall of Fame of Faith Hebrews 11 records the feats of those who were commended for their faith and who now serve as cheerleaders for us as we negotiate this rocky road of life. These believers, who are to be looked up to and emulated, were not known for "helping themselves", but for trusting God in the face of great difficulty. Noah was warned to build an ark in a place that had never received rain and was miles from the nearest body of water. Abraham was called to leave his home without knowing where he would end up. The Israelites marched around the city of Jericho in order to conquer it for themselves. . . .and the walls came tumbling down. These acts were all the result of obedience to God and complete reliance on him.
Taking Matters into His Own Hands There is the instance where Abram and Sarai tired of waiting for the child God had promised, and "helped themselves" instead. Sarai gave her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abram and she bore him a son named Ishmael. He was not the promised one, but Isaac, who would not be born until about 20 years after the promise was first made to Abram in Genesis 12, would be the heir to a promised nation. Twenty years is a long time to wait for God to move, but God values obedience!
Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice Another instance of "doing it my way" instead of God's, was Israel's first king, Saul. He wasn't known for his faith, and showed it right at the beginning of his reign. When on the cusp of a battle, he disobeyed God by making sacrifice to God himself instead of waiting for Samuel, the priest, to do so, as God had ordered. His excuse? I had to do something. . . I couldn't just sit around and wait for Samuel to show up! There was a crisis and action was necessary! The result? God took the crown away from him!
God Gets the Glory! God does not want us to rely on ourselves, but on Him. Consider the following:
"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” I Corinthians 1:27-31
What other passages can you think of to support the premise of God-reliance over self-reliance?
What other popular, yet unbiblical, sayings have crept into your common usage?
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