Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)
Today’s title might sound strange to you, but oh, how needed it is in the body of Christ today, for we all tend to lean toward self-sufficiency. A dependent spirit is a despised spirit, because the self wants to sit upon the throne of life. But God in His grace will strip away all the resources that we cling to in order to cause us to cry out to Him for the help we so desperately need.
I learned this remarkable truth a long time ago: You will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have! This was the truth that Peter expressed in our verse for today.
I think that one of the best ways to fully grasp this biblical truth about what it means to be a begging believer is to contrast it with the very opposite of this mindset. One of the best pictures of this comes from the church at Laodicea.
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:14-17)
In the eyes of the watching world, the church at Laodicea was the place to be. They were rich. They had acquired wealth. They were the picture of self-sufficiency. A beggar’s spirit was as far from them as the east is from the west. But from God’s perspective, there was no church in a worse condition than the Laodicean congregation, and they received His indictment: “You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” In their sense of self-sufficiency, they were neither hot nor cold, and the Lord was preparing to spit them out of His mouth.
Where in your life right now are you leaning toward self-sufficiency? What do you need to do in order to move back in the direction of being a believer who begs? What will it cost you if you don’t move? Remember, Jesus has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. He has also promised to meet your every need . . . not want. And He will meet it in His way and in His perfect timing.
May we all be like the apostle Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 