Christ Alone and Our Provision
In Christ alone.
Such a simple statement but yet such a hard truth to believe all the time, if we are honest with ourselves. We wouldn’t outwardly admit it but how many times in your normal day do you feel the power of Christ seems to be faint or even non-existent? You believe in Christ alone but yet what does that have to do with paying your bills, your co-worker or boss that makes your life more difficult, your anger, greed, selfishness, and arrogance? You trust in Christ alone for salvation, yet time and time again you find yourself running to many different things rather than just one thing to satisfy you. If I were to ask you what is that one thing in your life that you need everyday, all of us would say, their isn’t just one thing we need. We need multiple things to keep us alive; friends to help with our happiness, people that love us, safety, health, etc. So how is it that Christ alone can be the only thing that we as Christians can rest in?
I often struggle with this on the daily. I often see God as weak and not able to help me in every situation of my life or that He simply is uninterested in what I am going through. Yes, He has died for me and yes, He gives me eternal life but to be honest, it seems the rest of my life depends on my efforts and my own discipline to sustain and provide for myself and loved ones. This thinking is exactly what Satan tries to tempt Jesus with in the wilderness. “He was hungry. The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4: 2-3). Satan wanted Jesus to lack utter faith in God’s rich provision and to obtain food by wicked and unlawful ways. Satan wanted Jesus to think that God has neither the strength nor concern to provide Jesus the necessary things He needs to live. Satan makes God appear to be an unloving and careless Father. After all, how many earthly fathers will not feed their hungry children? Even those who show themselves to be careless still show compassion to their hungry children.
Do we also not struggle with this? When you are hungry and lack in food how quick are you to wonder if God will provide? When money is tight, how quickly do you get anxious and you’re ready to doubt God’s faithfulness to you? Or when you worked really hard but didn’t get the job that you interviewed for and see others succeeding and climbing up the ranks while you still feel stuck at the bottom? During this time can we really say that Christ alone is enough? Is Christ sufficient? To this I would say with a resounding “Yes!”
The Gospel frees us from thinking of God as an unloving Father. It gives us complete confidence that He will never forsake us no matter what comes our way, “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-12). The Gospel gives us this strong rest and assurance in Christ that even when you fail to trust God for your provision and you leave God to your own devices, God would never leave you! He gives more grace. God’s provision and love and care for you is not contingent upon your performance, but simply on Christ alone. God doesn’t just stop at our physical needs. More importantly, He gives us a solution to our spiritual needs. We need forgiveness much more than we need food and water. We need the Spirit to lift our heads from such doubt and discouragements in His forgiveness. We need to know and have assurance that we have passed from death to life. That God will continue to show us grace every day. God is trying to show us that just as he provides you with multiple meals everyday, so also He provides you with constant, faithful love towards your very soul that you may be filled with the love and overflow of grace He has for you. In Christ, His spiritual provision overflows and overwhelms us with peace. In Christ, the Father lavishly pours out grace upon us. We’re just like the prodigal son, spending all of our Father’s money in reckless spending, but God continues to abundantly pour out His love all the more into His prodigal children to bring them back home.
So believer, look and hold fast to Christ alone! Anchor yourself in His mercies for you that are new every morning and rest your anxious soul in His bosom. Let us trust that Christ alone has the power to guide and carry us all the way through this life and to heaven. Let us rest in Christ for we are safe in His nail-pierced hands. Let us lavishly show grace and love to our neighbor. Is there someone that in is need right now, that you can provide for? Maybe a hungry college student wanting some food? Maybe an elderly widow in your church that does not have much money to live on? Maybe a relationship that needs to be amended? Let us then give to those in need that they may be able to feel and know the rich love and provision of God!