Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Is it responsibility or lack of faith?

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) Since God will supply, do I just sit back and do nothing? Or do I have a responsibility to do something? If I do something, is that showing a lack of faith, or just being responsible?
Now that I've got you thinking, I'll share my thoughts on the question. I think it's a combination of both trusting God and doing my part. God does expect me to act responsibly and use my resources well. I need to make wise decisions and be good stewards of my money, time, talent, and resources. Of course, God can do anything and meet any need without any help from me! God does not NEED my help—believe me!
Being on disability due to a back injury, I'm on pain medication. And each year, I hit the "doughnut hole" in coverage. (For those not familiar with Medicare Part D. When you hit a certain dollar amount, you become 100% responsible for the medication.)
That means my medications cost over $400 a month, rather than just over $50. Since my pain medications contain morphine, I cannot stop cold turkey. Plus, the meds are necessary to just function each day. So they are a NEED.
This brings me to my original thought. With the increase in costs, do I sit back and wait for God to supply? I know He is ABLE. But, I personally believe that I have a responsibility too. What can I do being on disability and unable to work? I am more careful with using lights when I don't need them. I also unplug all my electronics at night. I never use the clocks on those things anyway! "But that's just pennies and you need dollars"....yes, but pennies do add up. And if I do watch my pennies, I know God can take care of the dollars.
What if God doesn't supply by the time you need to refill your meds? That's easy. I'll pay cash for what I can and charge the rest. Just because I have to buy the meds on that day; that doesn't mean God has to meet the need by that day. God is not limited by time. If I have to charge part of my meds, so be it. God knows that, and He can supply any interest added to the bill too. God is not limited by amounts either.
So, back to my original question. Am I being responsible or simply not having faith, if I do what I can to meet a need? My answer. I'm being responsible by doing my part while trusting God to supply my needs. There is still the faith that God can supply my needs, but God also has given me a responsibility to do what I can.
Now that I've shared my answer to the question, what's your answer?

Creating a positive day isn't just done when things are going "great". But creating a positive day is a possible every day, it's all a matter of "choice of focus". To create a positive day, you focus on the good things. Can't think of any? What about the fact that God loves you unconditionally? That is the most positive fact to focus on!

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