God won't give you more than you can bear????

This is a statement that a lot of well-meaning Christians (including myself) have said. However, this is not a scriptural truth. My pastor gave a sermon over this statement yesterday. He is gifted and definitely used by God to speak the very words of God and to speak truth in a way that anyone, no matter what life situation they might be in, can absorb it into their life.

This statement is taken from a verse in 1 Cor. 10:13 and has been misinterpreted. The scripture discusses that TEMPTATION is never unbearable....not LIFE. Life will be unbearable. That is exactly why we need God. This statement has been told to me before, and I have been guilty of becoming a little prideful from it. I have thought, "I guess I am pretty strong if I can handle this much!" That also causes me to think that I have endured a situation because of my own strength. How untrue that is. When I realize the truth of this statement, it humbles me and reminds me of how small and weak I am.

"God won't give you more than you can bear." Hmmm....that also insinuates that bad things that happen are an act of God...that God is the one who "zaps" tough situations on people. Again, how untrue that is. That is out of God's character. Because of the first sinful act in the garden of eden, it turned this glorious world into a fallen world where consequently....bad things happen. On earth, the kingdom is not in full, it is only in the hearts of men. Therefore, when we are going through hardships, it is not an act of God, but rather because of an unperfect world that is separated from God.

The great news though, is that God does have a plan to send his grace. In 2 Cor. 11, Paul talks of the many trials that he faced on his journeys. He went through countless trials of physical beatings and faced danger that threatened his life. In chapter 12 he discusses how he wants to boast of the things he has seen and heard from God. Here is the best part in 2 Cor. 12:7-8

So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness."

The interesting thing about this verse is that God did not take the thorn away. Whatever it was that was tormenting Paul's life could not be taken away by God....especially if he wasn't the one who put it there. That's not to say that God doesn't have the power to make things right if he so chooses. But it's not always in his plan to send relief.....it IS always in his plan to send GRACE if we chose to accept it. "My grace is all you need."

It's important to remember though, that we need him and his grace even when life IS bearable. It's easy to rely on yourself again when you are cruising down the road through life. These are the times you need him as well because right around the bend a "wreck" of your life is ready to strike. If you are in a car wreck, you can't jump out of the car and go find God especially if it's bad enough to trap you in or disable a part of your body. He needs to already be there in relationship with you cruising down the road with you before and after the wreck in order to make surviving this crisis possible. But...if God has not been with you before the "wreck" in your life occurred, it's not too late. It's not a lost cause because remember, "His power works best in weakness." I praise God that whether life is bearable or not, His grace is all we need.