Today I
have a little rant!
{There, that’s your
warning…proceed with caution!}
These days
it seems I hear the message over and over…there is even a very popular song on
the Christian radio station, the lyrics say:
You
may be knocked down now, but don’t forget
What
he said – He said:
I won’t give you more than you
can take
And
I might let you bend but I won’t let you break
And
Oh, I’ll never let you go
Don’t
forget what he said
Don’t get
me wrong…I love this song…it’s very catchy…but every time it comes on in the
van I have to say, “That’s a lie…the Bible does not say, 'He will not give us
more than we can take!'” {And, of course
I understand the underlying message is that He will be there for us. But, I don’t want people, especially my
children, to buy into a lie that waters down Christ in any way! In fact, I am
actually fine with every other part of this song, but that one line!}
“But
we have this treasure in jars of clay, to
show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (Bold mine)
Then
it continues in 4:8-10:
“We
are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to
despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always
carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in our bodies.”
Christ
himself said, “Blessed are you when others revile
you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account.” (Matthew 5:11)
Did you see that? He said things would get worse, not better! And this is only one of many verses that speak of the Christian walk being difficult. The difference is that He will be our strength in our times of trouble in a way that we cannot comprehend on our own!
Did you
also know that the Bible does not say, “The Lord helps those who help
themselves?”
{OK – I’ll
save that for another day!}
These are statements I used to use too, but don't anymore. Thanks for posting the answer to many peoples questions or mistakes. You are awesome and continue to help me in my journey...
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I just had this very conversation! God will not let us be "tempted" beyond what we can bear (1 Cor 10:13), but he certainly allows circumstances beyond what we can handle.
ReplyDeleteRight Marsha...I think that is where the confusion ends up coming in!!!
DeleteThe above verse from 1 Cor 10:13 is the verse that I hear all the time misquoted and misinterpreted to say that very thing, and that isn't really what it means. I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteGreat insight and sensitivity to the truth. Thanks for taking the time to share!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Lisa
www.moretobe.com / www.pnpcoaching.com
It is interesting how many things are so misquoted, you hear them all your life, swear you've read them in the Bible yourself, til you go to try to find it, and it's not there. I must admit this is one that I thought was there, but I'd always tell people, He gets a bit tricky with it, in that we're also told we can bear ALL things through Christ which strengthens us. However, sometimes it may not be the exact words that are there, but the concept is there. I knew that it said He wouldn't allow us to be tempted beyond what we could withstand, and I certainly understood that we are to be broken and rebuilt by the master potter, but didn't realize the "He won't put on us more than we can bear" wasn't in there. Thanks for the schoolin'!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! Yes, trials hard to bear bring us to our knees and show us our need for God and none other. Thank you for sharing at WJIM.
ReplyDelete