Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Lifeway Women’s Bible study He Speaks to Me by Priscilla Shirer. Learn more about this impactful Bible study!
Just as salvation can only come when we truly transfer our confidence from ourselves to Jesus, our ability to live victorious Christian lives comes only as we place that same confidence in Christ daily. Whether in business or personal matters we usually find assurance when we are self-reliant and trust in our own abilities. It’s so easy for us to trust in ourselves, but it is difficult for most of us to admit our faults, face our weakness, and ask God for the help we need.
We must recognize our limitations, because only Christ can take care of our problems. We must place our confidence in Him alone. In Luke 5:31 Jesus clearly states that He came for those who are sick and in need of help. Jesus likens Himself to a physician. Like any good doctor, He’s available to people who are aware they are sick, admit they are sick, and come to Him with confidence.
My husband is not quick to go to a doctor’s office. He will sit at home with a sore throat and a fever for days before calling to make an appointment with the doctor. In the meantime he hopes for relief, filling himself with juice and over-the-counter medications. I feel so sorry for him as he cuddles up in the bed, shivering from fever and sniffling with a cold. Each time I wonder how long he will suffer before admitting how sick he is.
We often treat spiritual sickness like Jerry with physical illness. We either don’t realize we are spiritually sick or don’t realize the extent of it. We may think we simply lack interest in church when we really have spiritual cancers like greed and bitterness. Until someone points out our condition, we may not realize how bad off we are. Often others can see more than we can.
Consider the last time you had company. Maybe you knew you needed to clean the living room before they arrived but never got around to it. When the visitors stepped into your home, you suddenly became conscious of the dust bunny under the sofa and the coffee stain on the end table. In the same way, when we bring another believer into our spiritual living rooms, we suddenly become aware of the broken areas of our lives.
Awareness does not equal admitting. I might be aware that my living room is dirty yet still not admit I need to do something about it.
We must abandon the confidence we have in our own ability to fix our problems. God can turn our circumstances around when we admit our needs and place our confidence in Him alone.
When my husband finally calls the doctor, he is so glad he did and wonders why he waited so long. Likewise, when you and I finally admit our need, call on Jesus, and place our confidence in Him, we often wonder why we held onto our suffering when we had the answer for our struggles all along.
The reason doctors get medical degrees is to help us when we are ill. It makes sense to go to the expert with physical illness. Jesus said the reason He came was to be a physician to those who are sick. So why are we so reluctant to admit our need and go to the Great Physician?
In Luke 5, Jesus sat with tax collectors and sinners. The community ostracized these people because of their occupations. Tax collectors often used their status to steal from the people, so tax collectors were constantly looked upon with disdain. They could not escape awareness of their sickness; it came with the job. But these particular tax collectors and sinners did something in response to their need; they went to dinner with Jesus.
These tax collectors took a step of faith. They visited the Great Physician. This step of going to the “doctor” is so important—not just for those who are saved but also for those who do not yet know Him.
John 3:16 clearly states that God sent His Son to die for those who needed saving but that salvation only comes to those who “believe in him.” Our walk with Christ began when we removed the confidence we had in our ability to save ourselves and decided to trust Him instead. Our ability to live victoriously while here on earth depends on our willingness to put our confidence in Him.
After admitting our need to the doctor and placing confidence in Him, we must daily follow the doctor’s recipe for recovery. My husband may admit he is sick, call to make an appointment, and even drive to the doctor’s office, but those actions won’t heal him. If the doctor orders a prescription, Jerry must get it filled and faithfully take the medicine. If the doctor gives instructions, he must follow them. The level of confidence Jerry has in the doctor’s ability shows up in how faithfully he sticks to the physician’s instructions.
The dinner in Luke 5 was in Jesus’s honor. The banquet was in the home of a tax collector named Levi who would later be called Matthew. In response to Jesus’s command to follow Him, he invited Jesus into his home for a celebration and reception.
Levi left behind his family, career, money, friends, home, security, and much more because he believed Christ had more to offer. So confident was he in this decision that he threw a party to celebrate!
I think the account points to a basic misconception. We don’t really give up anything to follow Christ. Instead, we make a wise value judgment. Levi believed the man for whom he left everything was more valuable than what he gave up.
Want to learn more about the He Speaks to Me Bible study? Watch the short video below or view a free sample and teaching video clips at lifeway.com/hespeakstome.
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