Probably all of us at one time or another have spoken the phrase, "If I could, I would." When we have used those words, did we mean we had tried something but failed or did we mean that we had never tried but were afraid to try? It could also mean that we didn't believe we had the resources to accomplish the something in question.
My list of things I would do if I could is fairly long so I will not list everything here. But here are a couple of my personal examples of "if I could, I would":
I would sing in a way that others would enjoy hearing me sing. The truth is that there is not a large enough bucket for me to carry a tune. However, I can change keys three or four times in the same verse of a song whether there is a key change or not. One thing about my singing - even though I am not a good singer, I love to sing. The shower or the car are my stages.
At a younger age I would have been a great baseball player if only I could have hit the ball, run fast, caught a hot grounder, and judged the flight of a fly ball.
Too often we focus on what we would do if we could and miss what we should be doing. There is a verse in the Bible that we sometimes misinterpret. It is found in Philippians 4:13 and contains Paul's words as he wrote to the church at Philippi.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Paul was not bragging about being able to do anything and everything. Rather, the emphasis is upon what God directs him to do and also gives him the power or ability to do. What we should be asking ourselves is what has God called me or gifted me to do in this world? The Lord set Paul apart to reach out to the world around him and share Christ.
As he went from city to city, the Lord equipped Paul to speak or relate to the people he met. He could do all the things that God had called him to do, not by his own strength but by Christ who provided the needed strength.
I can stil recall the first sermon I preached while still in high school. I hadn't sought the opportunity. One of our church's staff members had volunteered me to another church and told me where to be and when. I know that the Lord gave me strength that day because otherwise I might have collapsed. I think that my knees were bruised from knocking together. Despite my inexperience and inability, the message that the Lord wanted shared at that church on that day was shared. How? Because it was what I should do, the Lord provided the strength that I needed.
Too often we turn down opportunities that God places before us because we think we can't. Don't panic - He is not going to give you the opportunity to perform brain surgery when you are not a doctor or play a piano concerto in Carnegie Hall when you can barely recognize a piano. But He gives us opportunities regularly that He has equipped us to do and that He stands beside us as the strength and resource we will need. What does He ask of us? He just wants us to trust Him and obey Him in doing what He says we SHOULD!
Have a good week doing what the Lord says you should.
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