It’s going to be 90 here today. The humidity factors in and some wind, to make it nearly impossible to feel cool. All you have to do is move, instantly there are beads of sweat somewhere on your body. Personally, I like the heat, at least more than I do the cold. Long winters are not my favorite. I enjoy the sun and the activity possible with warmer weather. In warm weather you must stay hydrated. Even a little bit of dehydration is misery. Extensive dehydration can lead to major problems. In a previous post titled “Substitutes”, I outlined the terrible substitute soda is for water. When you’re hot and tired and a little dehydrated, drink water. Without the constant ingestment of adequate hydration, we wither away quite quickly. The sodas and coffees will not adequately supply what your body needs.
On the other hand; when you’re parched, some things are just not adequate to quench the thirst. For instance, when I’m at a ball park having hotdogs and peanuts… a water bottle isn’t going to cut it. It’s adequate for my body, but not for my taste. When eating pizza, water isn’t what I’m looking for. I need a cool glass (with no ice) of cold DrPepper. Sometimes our body needs one thing while our mind wants another.
Jesus supplies both. He has the capability to supply what we need and want, in relation to everything! Nothing else is adequate to complete and secure our salvation, and our following fellowship. Timothy was told by Paul to “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Not our power, but His. Our ‘best’ is inadequate in following Christ. We need His securing power, by grace. This is the theme of the scripture. It is not by might, or power, but by God’s Spirit that things actually happen (Zechariah 4.6). Try as you may, you cannot secure eternal things with just man’s ability. We are wholly inadequate.
There is a necessity in recognizing and admitting this. In Matthew 5.3 Jesus told His disciples that to be “poor in spirit” is a command. Plus, it is a blessing. Why? Not only do you get the “Kingdom”, but also taste what Jesus can really do in your life. Think of Jesus’ self-declaring statement when He said, “…Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11.29). Recognition and admittance of my inadequacy is required to secure the promises that come from it. ‘I am inadequate.’ Was that so hard? You aren’t, nor am I. We must have Jesus each and every step. We have His Spirit in us, but do we listen, obey, and trust? Do we recognize the promptings He gives? Do we diligently search the scripture to see His will? Or… do we ‘have it’? Do we think we have what it takes to do this life, without His adequate supply? It is not 50/50 or even 90/10. It cannot be eternal in reward, if it isn’t God doing it.
Think of your salvation alone. How did you ‘make it’ in the Kingdom? Was it in your own power? John addresses this in his introduction of Jesus’ Gospel, chapter 1 and verse 12— “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” He gave us power. We had none! Even our ability to believe was granted to us. Remember the father of a child who desperately needed Jesus to heal his son? Mark 9.24 says— “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” He was inadequate and knew it! He recognized his own desperate situation and admitted his own inadequacy, even to believe. Anything else would have been inadequate and arrogant.
Notice again in John 1, but continuing to verse 13— “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Our salvation, our born-again status was not secured by: will. You can’t press hard enough to secure eternal things. You can’t produce enough energy or intelligence to achieve any spiritual thing. It requires God doing it. It is not done by “the will of the flesh” or “the will of man”. You and your flesh are inadequate to get a single solitary thing done for Jesus that will count for eternity. Your pedigree won’t help either, which is why he said— “not by blood”. Nothing except God will cut it. Each and every other effort is inadequate.
I have learned the hard way to ‘rest’ in Him. I have been crushed again and again in my pride and selfishness by a Jesus who loves me. He knows it’s best that I stop and let Him do it for me. I want nothing more than to please Him, as I suppose you do. If you truly want Him to do it, start letting go of the plans and inventions of your flesh. Let it go. Give Him full charge over every person, plan, motivation, event, fear, situation, stress, anxiety, etc. He can and will secure you in it. He is the only one adequate to do so. Are you? Accept and admit your inadequacy, remembering that our abilities, purposes, and all that combine to be me… is wholly inadequate to secure eternal spiritual things. I need to submit to Jesus, who has always been adequate.
This world is making us parched… take a fresh, deep, drink of Jesus. All else is inadequate, including self.