If you are doing to fulfill your purpose, you are going to need what I call "bread smarts" at some time (not to be confused with street smarts). You will have to learn to trust the Lord for bread and confront what can be a hard heart in the process. Are you ready to learn what it takes to have bread smarts? If so, then read on.
HARD HEARTS
At one point, the crowd had been with Jesus for quite a while and the disciples came with this suggestion:
This made perfect sense, at least from the point of view of the disciples. There were a lot of people and there was no way they could feed them all. Yet those disciples had the same problem that modern disciples have, including you and me. Their hearts were hard. No, they weren't in gross disobedience. They just could not see the possibility before them because they had small thinking that emanated from a hard heart. So Jesus replied,
"They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16).
This suggestion blew their minds, which is just what Jesus wanted to do. He introduced a new thought but it was so outside the realm of their thinking that they made an immediate assessment and came back with an inventory of their current reality and ability:
"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered (Matthew 14:17).
BREAD SMARTS
This lesson has important implications as you pursue purpose. Is it possible that you can’t clarify your purpose because you are concerned about bread? Is it possible that God is speaking to you, but you are coming to the wrong conclusion because you are worried about how He will provide for you while you fulfill your purpose? Since we launched PurposeQuest in 2000, God has provided for my wife and me in miraculous ways, often in the very hour of our need. Yet that hasn’t stopped me from fretting and often misunderstanding what God wanted me to do because I was overly concerned about whether or not His abundance would show up when I needed it.
I almost missed going to Afghanistan along the way because I was focusing on bread while God was speaking to me about purpose. As I’ve talked to many people about purpose, they immediately turned the discussion to finances. Yet many of them have testimonies of God’s provision over the years. Jesus identified this inability to trust God in spite of ample evidence to the contrary as hardness of heart (see Mark 8:14-21). Is your heart hard or soft where the issue of God’s abundance and provision for you, your family, business or ministry is concerned?
As you seek your purpose or seek to fulfill it, may I leave you with three lessons that are part of what I call “bread smarts.” They are:
2) God won’t provide what you need before you need it. God does this because He is so confident in His ability to provide for you. You need to share His confidence.
3) Your thinking is often the problem. God gave the disciples more than a miracle He gave them a new way of thinking when they confronted what seemed like an insurmountable problem. God may want to do the same for you; don't miss the lesson.
This week you may need to deal with a hard heart or pick up some bread smarts. Whichever it is, both will help you as you pursue your PurposeQuest. I pray the truth of God’s abundance will touch you this week, spurring you to greater heights and depths as a person of purpose. Have a great week!
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING: I wish all my American readers a happy Thanksgiving this coming Thursday. Don't forget to take some time to give thanks!
SPECIAL HELP: I am applying the lessons from the Memo this week, as I am off to Kenya next week to work
with an organization who cannot afford to pay my way. I know I am supposed to go, so any financial
assistance you can give me at this time would be greatly appreciated. You
may contribute using PayPal through my website or send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Thank you.
MEET WITH ME IN DECEMBER: If you would like to meet with me to have a PurposeQuest session while I am in Nairobi in December, you can also send me an email to let me know you are interested. I have one Sunday free while I am there, so if you would like me to speak in your church on December 7, please let me know.
FAITH FILES eBOOK: As I announced two weeks ago, my latest book, The Faith Files, is now available as an ebook that you can download. What's more, the service allows you to pay in Canadian dollars, US dollars, UK pounds, Australian dollars and, get this, Indian rupees! Just go to the ebook website, enter your payment information and download the book. You can then print it or have it on your computer for your devotional pleasure.
CHRISTMAS GIFT: A Daily Dose of Proverbs, my popular daily devotional, makes a great Christmas present that can bless your staff, friends and family every day of the coming year. If you purchase a copy by November 30, I will pay the shipping in the U.S. You can send a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 or make a donation of $15 for each copy you would like on my PayPal account through my website and we will get it right out to you.
John, you wrote this memo just for me (it feels that way, anyway). Thank you for your inspiring memos which helps us keep up our faith in our wonderful LORD's promises.
Posted by: Joe Sarria | November 24, 2008 at 06:20 PM