Tag: Luke 20

Not All the Answers

At the beginning of Acts, Jesus’ disciples ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). In their minds, this was the right question. After all, they had walked with Jesus through His ministry, His death, and His resurrection, and the natural next step seemed to be the re-establishment of God’s kingdom. But Jesus, instead of providing a direct answer, redirects their focus. “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority,” He replies, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:7-8).

The disciples’ question highlights our common desire for clarity and control. Like them, we often want answers about God’s timeline or specifics of His plan. But Jesus reminds us that some things simply aren’t for us to know. Instead of giving a detailed roadmap, He offers us something better: the Holy Spirit’s guidance and empowerment.

In our own lives, the Holy Spirit continues to guide us through uncertainties. God knows that we, like the disciples, will not always have all the answers, and He encourages us to lean into His presence rather than our understanding. The Spirit’s role is not just to give us information but to transform us into people of faith and trust. As we surrender our need for control, we can grow in faith that God, who holds all knowledge and power, is directing our path.

God asks us to trust Him even when we don’t have all the answers. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Our focus is not meant to be on securing every answer, but on becoming more responsive to the Spirit, following Him as He leads us forward with wisdom, patience, and courage.

Nothing to Lose: Building a Life of Sacrificial Trust

When Jesus watched the widow place two small coins in the temple treasury, He remarked that her offering was worth more than all the others. The wealthy were giving large sums, but it came from their abundance—they had enough left over that they wouldn’t miss what they gave. But this widow gave everything she had. Her gift, though small, was massive in its cost, and Jesus highlighted that her offering embodied true sacrificial trust.

This story challenges us to rethink how we give to God—not just financially but in every area of life. For those with financial security, giving can often become another line item, a “good thing” we do rather than an act that deeply stretches our faith. Sacrificial trust requires us to look beyond what is convenient or comfortable, pushing us to rely on God in ways that make us uncomfortable. So, if giving money isn’t stretching us, what can?

Building Trust in Practical Ways

To grow in sacrificial trust, we need to commit ourselves to practices that move us beyond our self-sufficiency and put us in a position where we need God to provide, guide, or sustain us. Here are some ways we can start intentionally cultivating this reliance on Him:

  1. Prioritize Time for Service
    Time is precious, and offering it to serve others can be one of the most challenging sacrifices. When we serve regularly—especially when it’s inconvenient—we learn to depend on God to supply energy, focus, and purpose. By giving time to those in need, we place our trust in God to help us manage the demands of life as we prioritize His kingdom.
  2. Hospitality That Costs Something
    Hospitality often involves more than opening our homes; it includes opening our hearts and schedules to others. Offering a place of rest or fellowship to those in need can stretch us emotionally and financially. This practice forces us to rely on God to provide and meet our needs, fostering a lifestyle of generosity and trust.
  3. Making Faith-based Decisions with Career and Finances
    When we choose to pursue purpose over profit or to fund ministries instead of saving excessively for ourselves, we enter a space where we rely on God to secure our future. Trusting Him with our careers or resources isn’t easy, but it’s a powerful exercise in dependence.
  4. Practicing Fasting and Extended Prayer
    Setting aside time to fast and pray helps us depend on God’s sustenance, both physically and spiritually. This intentional discipline can become a powerful act of faith, where we trust that God will meet our needs as we draw closer to Him.
  5. Volunteering Professional Skills for Kingdom Purposes
    Giving up paid time to volunteer our expertise requires both faith and sacrifice. Whether in a church, a nonprofit, or even informally, using skills for ministry without pay can challenge our dependence on material rewards and make us more reliant on God’s provision.
  6. Seeking Forgiveness and Reconciliation
    Taking steps toward reconciliation in our relationships often requires vulnerability and trust in God’s healing power. By putting ourselves in situations where we risk being hurt or rejected, we learn to trust God’s ability to heal and restore.
  7. Surrendering Control Over Our Plans
    Holding our ambitions, plans, and future loosely opens us to God’s leading. When we ask Him to show us what He wants for us, we must trust that His plans are ultimately better, even if it means giving up control or comfort.

The widow’s act of faith shows us that true giving costs us something. Sacrificial trust isn’t about the amount or kind of gift we give; it’s about our willingness to let go of our self-reliance and place ourselves fully in God’s hands. As we practice faith in new areas of life, we move beyond mere convenience to genuine, transformative trust.

My Will Be Done, or Thy Will Be Done?

In John 12:37-50, we find Jesus quoting Isaiah 6:10, a passage where God says He will “blind their eyes and harden their hearts” so that they will not understand or turn to Him. On first glance, it sounds as though God is actively working to prevent people from believing. But as we dig deeper, a richer perspective emerges—one where human freedom and God’s sovereign plan are in a perfect, if mysterious, harmony.

I firmly believe all things happen under God’s design, but this doesn’t mean God coerces every choice or action. Instead, God knows every possible outcome—all the ways a free creature might respond in any given circumstance. He orchestrates the world in such a way that His purposes are fulfilled, but human choices are genuinely free. This view helps us understand Jesus’ reference to Isaiah. The passage wasn’t about God “forcing” people to resist belief. Rather, it was about His awareness of their hearts and how His message would be received given their predispositions.

See, in Isaiah, the people’s blindness wasn’t manufactured by God; it was the result of a longstanding resistance to His message. By the time Jesus was teaching, the religious leaders and many others had spent years ignoring God’s call to genuine worship and repentance. Jesus’ use of Isaiah’s words acknowledges that these people would continue to resist, not because God forced them to but because they chose to close their hearts. God’s sovereignty allowed Him to use even their resistance to further His plans.

We might think of it like this: God’s will is broad enough to encompass both the willing and the unwilling, the faithful and the resistant. When someone continually resists, God may allow them to experience the consequences of their choice, but that choice is theirs. It is this deep respect for freedom that underscores the entire message of Jesus in the Gospels. He offers salvation, but He doesn’t coerce it.

Jesus’ example shows us how divine sovereignty and human freedom work together. Every time we choose to follow Him, we participate in God’s grand design, bringing His purposes to fruition in the world. The key difference lies in whose will we are choosing to follow. Will it be our will, with all its limitations and potential missteps, or will it be His will, which is perfect and ultimately fulfilling?

The question, “My will be done, or Thy will be done?” is one we face every day. Like those who encountered Jesus, we each have the choice to turn toward God and align with His purposes, allowing Him to work through us. Though we’re free to choose otherwise, God’s invitation remains open—a gracious reminder that His will is always toward life, restoration, and purpose.