Strange, isn't it, that I should make such an assertion about God? Especially against the background of my knowing that His grace cannot be earned. The fact is, however, that all the evidence in the Bible indicates that God responds not to the extent of our need, but the extent of our faith. It becomes obvious,therefore, that even with God what we deserve trumps what we need. And in this instance, what we deserve is determined by the measure of our faith.
In the same way, in the natural realm, people are not particularly interested in what your needs are. Employers are far more concerned about what you bring to the bargaining table, to the market-place. They want to know what value it is that you can add to their product or service, to their project or venture. Potential customers want to know what differentiates your product, they want to see your value proposition in order that you might earn their buy-in.
There are far too many of us who still believe that our bigger need qualifies us for a faster, bigger response from life, or from God. Recently I conducted a life-change seminar and had brought the audience to the point of feeling a yearning for change. But then I pulled on that old Jack Cranfield tactic of asking who was ready for change, who was ready to move to the next level, to experience life lived to its full potential. Obviously, the entire audience was worked up and enthusiastically registered their readiness with shouts in the affirmative. When I got to the potent question of who wants $500.00 (money in hand), I had to ask it eight times of the audience before somebody finally moved forward to accept the money. They had not made the distinction between wanting (or needing) and deserving. More importantly, though, as the one brave woman returned to her seat (money in hand) I heard a woman near to me whisper "...I'm sure I needed it more than she." I am still amazed, after many days, that the extent of her need didn't drive her to get up and do something to deserve the cash!
Don't be afraid to bring your good seeds to this fertile ground called life, for it is a fact that we reap far more than we sow. Our efforts may not always be rewarded immediately, but it will happen sooner than later. There may be seasons of drought, the birds may get some of the seeds, but always, some will fall on good ground. Don't be afraid to act on your desires, to take decided action to be the one to fulfill your own needs, to extend yourself in faith to the One by whose deliberate design it is that all of life responds to what we deserve and not what we need.
