(re)learning how to count
I’m at the airport headed to Dallas for the Proclaim Truth conference (which I’m super excited about!). One of the speakers is author Jen Wilkin, and this trip has me thinking back over things I’ve learned from her teaching. I started reading her book None Like Him a while back, and each chapter zeroes in on a characteristic about God that is not like us (and why that’s a good thing). The first chapter discusses how we as humans are prone to measure and count all sorts of things—but that nothing about God can be measured or counted because He is infinite.
She goes on to explain that the way the Bible talks about measuring and counting is much different than the way we measure and count. Here’s what a lot of my measuring and counting looks like, paired up with what’s true from the Bible…
I count the dollars in our fundraising account…
but the Bible tells me that God’s resources are limitless (Psalm 24:1) and that He will supply everything we need (Philippians 4:19).
I count the hours of sleep I get and base my strength for the day on that…
but the Bible tells me that God’s power is unlimited (Matthew 19:26) and that His strength is made perfect when I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I count the things and people we have to part with when we move to Ethiopia…
but the Bible tells me to count everything as a loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8).
I count the days until our baby might arrive and worry if that number of days is adequate to get all the things done…
but the Bible says that God knew each and every day that He planned for me and for our baby girl before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).
I count the hard things in my life and buckle underneath them…
but the Bible says to count trials as joy (James 1:2).
I think about myself all day long—what I want, how I feel…
but the Bible tells me to count others as more significant than myself (Philippians 2:3).
I count up the “good” things I do to determine if I measure up…
but the Bible says that God counts simple faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
Man, how different would I feel if I counted things the way God counts? How much would my worry decrease, my faith increase, and my awe at His goodness grow?
“Could it be that this process of growing in the fear of the Lord is a simple matter of relearning how to count?”
Excited about this weekend of learning more about God and how to share His word with others. Hope you all have a good weekend, too!