In times of economic despair, emotional depletion, or abundant riches, this is an important question for those who call themselves “Believers” in Jesus Christ.
We can be poor and depressed and miss the “source” issue. We can be rich and wanting nothing and miss the “source issue.”
We can fall under the spell of “self-sufficiency” or “government aid” or just stumble along in ignorance and unbelief.
The point is that “God” is to be our source. This, in no way overrules our own good work ethic, working hard to get ahead, providing for our loved ones, or diligently pursuing goals and dreams in responsible effort. Paul said, “He that will not work, let him not eat.” Jesus worked hard at ministry yet maintained the balance of trusting in His Source; His Heavenly Father.
It does not matter if one is poor or rich, there is still the issue of our “Source.” So, in whom or what are you trusting to sustain you? Many trust in government to provide for them; the government is their source. Some wives are trusting in their husbands to be their source and vice versa. Many are trusting in their “jobs” to be their source. Yet, these sources have proven to be faulty.
Many people have lost their spouses in divorce or death. Many have lost their jobs which they thought were secure. Many have lost their retirement funds due to the economy or scandal. I received notice in the mail the other day from the Social Security Administration, that at a certain date in the near future, the funds would be depleted.
The Lord told the Israelites of the Old Testament period to not trust in horses or chariots or look to the worldly governments as their source. Yet, like many of us, they turned away from the one true source that had the power of sustenance. He was the God who could create out of nothing, the God who created the gold and knew where it was located, the God who could make water come out of a rock in the desert and quail meat fly in fresh every day! He was the God that could deliver from the lion’s den and the fiery furnace. He was the God that could part the Red Sea and cause the enemies to flee. He was even the God that could raise the dead.
If the Bible teaches us anything in all of its 66 books it has to be that God is the only true source we can ever really count upon. But do we really look to our source in faith? Or do we fret and worry because we envision a dark cloud?
Jesus taught that God knows the very hairs of our head and has them numbered. He said, “Do not worry.” He said that the God Source that clothed the flowers of the field and fed the little birds would also be your source. But do we really believe that – in actual day-to-day living? I think not. And maybe that is why we are not happier and rested and able to minister and serve with greater impact. We are too worried – even about things we only envision happening or things that we can’t even control anyway.
A poor man or a rich man can both fail to look to God as their source. A poor man can be blinded by his poverty and see only with eyes of pity. A rich man can be blinded by his riches and see only with eyes of pride.
We have a tendency to not think toward God as our source until we are depleted, backed into a corner, or threatened with our very lives. God, obviously, wants us to trust Him as our Source in a daily lifestyle through thick and thin, through good and bad, through poverty and in riches. But how hard it is – really – daily – to look to God as our source?
We often never know what is in a man or woman until they are cornered or “squeezed.” What comes out then is usually an indication of the direction and depth of their faith. I have sat at the pastor’s desk and listened to men I had known for years, who I thought were giants in their walk with God. I listened to them and watched them cry like little children because they had lost their job and didn’t know what they were going to do! Other times I have seen quiet, unassuming believers, truly lose a lot with little hope for good news, respond in the grandest of ways pointing to God as their Source.
Who or What is your Source? This is a good question to contemplate – especially for those who claim God as their source by faith. Our testimony as Believers in Christ either shines by this issue or is marred by the practical unbelief we display.
Examine your life. Imagine the things you have trusted in to sustain you to be taken away; your job, your health, your security, your dignity, your wealth, your bank account, your retirement funds, your spouse, or even your government. Imagine your house and all of your earthly possessions to be burned up, destroyed by flood, or swallowed by earthquake. Imagine a scam that depletes your savings and retirement fund. Imagine a disease that cripples you and does not allow you to work. Imagine it all evaporating in smoke. In the rubble, can you imagine a Source still there? Would you trust in God as your Source if all of your earthly sources were gone? If so, you are a true Believer.
The greater truth is that one day the lid will shut on the casket. Nothing we have trusted in on earth will sustain us then – nothing! That is why God is so important as our Source. He has not only provided for us along our life’s journey but He has provided Jesus Christ as our Source for eternal life.
Who or What is your Source?
