Giving God Just Enough

Over the years, I have heard many sermons on God giving us exactly what we need when we need it, but it dawned on me recently that it is so easy to fall into the trap of giving God just enough. For some of us, we struggle with different views in our lives. For work, let us do just enough to stay within our job. We need to have an abundance for our image as taught to us by the many commercial ads, tv shows, and media. For Christ, we need to do just enough so others see us as Christians living that spiritual life.

The devil is at his tricks again with our mind. The truth is that if we do more than is expected or more than the bare minimum, then we will reach great levels of success never seen before. If you study the lives of persons who have done great and amazing things, it all started with that mindset of how much more can I do.

Recognizable names who did more than just enough

Thomas Edison, the lightbulb inventor, has a reputation for having the most failed attempts before any success on a single project. He is well known for his quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Lebron James considered the basketball king for a reason doesn’t just work out 5-7 days every week (even on off-season) but also adheres to a strict diet.
Mother Theresa was known for her tireless hours of serving and helping the poor.
Kriss Carr had rare cancer, and after changing her diet and developing an exercise routine, she is now a successful author and health coach.

From these examples, we see persons who faced challenges and obstacles, but they never gave up. They never rested well with just doing enough, they needed to go above and beyond, and what a success they achieved in life.

Doing immeasurably more

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20

I had to challenge my thinking. Do I want to do more for personal success or because I wanted to build a closer relationship with Christ? A part of me wants success like others, but I know that isn’t the thinking that God wants me to have. That success is about me and not glorifying God.

You may recall before I noted I wanted to be God’s best friend like Moses. I want to be doing abundantly and exceedingly more in Christ and for Christ.

But, and yes, there is a but. As a Christian, you may have experienced some of what I have:

“I don’t feel like praying right now.”
“This service is boring. I don’t feel the worship service.”
“I don’t feel like going to church.”
“Too tired to be nice or Godly.”

Or even scarier, sometimes you don’t even think these things because you have continually created a habit of just doing enough, and then all of a sudden, you are in a place where you’re not as close to God as you would like to be.

I was giving God just enough

I was a “Just enough” Christian… what woke me up? One night after a long and stressful day, I started praying and realized I could not remember The Lord’s Prayer! That shook me as nothing else could… a prayer that I had prayed since a child, I could not remember, and it made me realize how far I had come from God.

We can’t live our lives without the Holy Spirit… We can’t do more without Christ. Anything that we do will be “just enough” and won’t reflect God’s power. For us to step into our fullness and give God everything, then it can’t be about us… it has to all be about God!

Reflections

Food for thought: God loves us so much and wants us to acknowledge Him and submit to His will and not ours. The Holy Spirit will meet you where you are and give you “exceedingly and abundantly” all that you need and ask for. All you need to do is ask!

Prayer: Father, hallowed be thy name. I pray, Lord, that your people will hunger and thirst for You. That their desires will be to decrease so that You may increase. May they worship You in spirit and truth and call on Your Holy Spirit, submitting to Your power. In Jesus name. Amen

Giving God Just Enough