| The Best Things in Life |
Chapter 9 |
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But we are co-workers with God. We cannot do our hard tasks ourselves, neither will God do them for us – God and we must do them. Nothing is impossible to one who works with God. So we may not indolently roll the responsibility of hard tasks and duties off our shoulders, even upon God. Whatever is given to us to do, we must accept and must accomplish. We have nothing to do, however, with the question of ability. Back of us is all the strength of the Mighty God, and with this we can do the impossible if it is God’s will for us.
Many of the miracles of Christ are illustrations of this truth. He did not do for any one by divine power what the person could do with his own strength. He did not himself, by an act of his own, change the young ruler’s heart; he bade him voluntarily to give up his money, which he loved, and follow him. If he had done this Christ would have entered his heart and changed it. When Jesus healed the man with a withered arm, he did not put life into the arm as it hung helpless by the man’s side. He bade him stretch it forth, requiring him to use his own power of will. When he did this the arm became strong. To the man himself the restoring of the arm was impossible; but to the man with God it became easily possible.
It was impossible for the disciples to feed the hungry multitude on the hillside. Yet Jesus said, “Give ye them to eat.” It was an impossible duty, therefore, to which he set them. Yet they set about to obey his commandment as if it had been some easiest thing to do. They did not say, “Master, we cannot do it.” The simply began to do what he told them to do. Then, as they began to carry the bread to the people, it increased and continued to increase, until all the five thousand were satisfied.
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