He Is All We Need…But He Isn’t a Gumball Machine

By Contributing Writer, Bambi Moore

These are a few of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, In Christ Alone, sung by modern hymn-writers, Keith and Kristyn Getty.

But is Christ really my all in all? We sing words like this without questioning if what we are praying (music–prayers set to music) is indeed true. Very few of us consciously realize that many times we don’t believe that He is enough.

But the way we live may reveal just that.

When it comes down to it, we don’t really believe that God’s Word is sufficient to deal with our problems.  Oh, it can deal with everyone else’s problems.  But not me. Not my issues. Not my relationships. Not my situation.  I need God’s Word–plus five books from the Christian bookstore.  I need God’s Word–plus a paid pass to the latest and greatest conference for Christian families.

Sure, I need God.  I need Him–plus some good friends, faithful counselors, a good husband and good health.  I need Him–plus plenty of money and a house with plenty of room for my big family.

I need God, but I have a few empty places in my heart He just can’t fill.  I’ll fill them with vacations, shopping, food, hobbies or my family.

…but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)

What we believe about God is foundational to our whole belief system.  If we have wrong thinking about God, we will have wrong thinking about everything else too.  What we believe about Him determines our actions and how we live in this world. If we believe things about God that aren’t true, we will eventually act on those lies and end up in bondage.

From Hannah Whitall Smith :

Everything in your spiritual life depends on the sort of God you worship.  Because the character of the worshiper will always be molded by the character of what he worships: If it is a cruel and revengeful God, the worshiper will be the same, but if it is a loving, tender, forgiving, unselfish God, the worshiper will be transformed slowly, wonderfully, into this likeness.

Okay, God IS Enough. Got It. And Now He’s Going to Fix All My Problems, Right?

Yes, God is enough, and His Word contains everything we need.  But we can be set up for disillusionment and disappointment if we view God as a hired servant that we suppose will come running every time we ring a bell. Our goal in life is not to be free from all problems–to rid ourselves of everything that is difficult or unpleasant.  Our society is conditioned to think that we shouldn’t have to live with problems, and that there is fix for every problem:

• Got a toothache?  Take a Tylenol.
• Husband a jerk?  Find a new one.
• Can’t afford a new car?  Borrow.
• Unmarried and discontent with singleness?  Be flirty and dress provocatively.

Many of us are duped into thinking Christianity is just one more way to get what we want.  Just pray and believe God, and you’ll have plenty of money in the bank, your best friend will be cured of her cancer, your marriage will be salvaged, and you’ll get instant victory over the sins you’ve struggled with for years. This destructive way of thinking explains why some Christians are bitter, angry, and frustrated with life.

Living an obedient life does spare us from many of the natural consequences that living apart from God’s Word brings, but that doesn’t mean we are exempt from problems.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we are wrapped up in some spiritual cocoon that makes us immune to pain and suffering. As long as we live on earth, we will feel the effects of the ravages of sin.  There will be tears, sorrows, pressures and problems.

But here’s the good news!  God is not detached from our problems.  He’s not sitting up in Heaven watching us–waiting to see if we will survive this life. No.  He’s a very present help in trouble. His Word is all we need.  Through it, He supplies us with His power and grace.

Below is the song mentioned above, In Christ Alone. Warning:  Put down your computer as you listen, because it might make you want to turn a cartwheel for joy.

 

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