Being A Solutionist
He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. John 21:5 God is always solving problems in the Bible. Famine. Illness. Hunger. Barrenness. Death. Eternal death. God uses His people to bring extraordinary solutions to really big problems. Elijah and the widow. Two loaves and five fish. Abraham and Sara. The story of Lazarus. Jesus' death on the cross. These are all examples of God's problem solving throughout history because of His love for mankind. God calls us as His children to be solution-oriented. He calls us to be "solutionists", just like He was. Jesus solved a major problem - the eternal death of mankind. And it is by faith that we are saved and called by His grace to be His representatives in order to establish His Kingdom on earth. A friend of mine and I went to a fall festival where a woman was selling beautifully-smelling fresh hand soaps. My friend began talking to the woman about the soaps and we learned that this woman had had a really bad skin condition that inhibited her from using regular soaps. She hadn't had any skin problems since creating her own. She solved a problem for herself -- AND others with the same condition. And they smelled great too! This is how we can have influence in culture -- by solving problems. The first key to being a solutionist is having a love-filled relationship with God. He is able to "whisper in our ear" the solutions He desires to see. We might be experiencing a problem He wants us to solve, like the lady with the soap company. The second is perseverance. We need perseverance to get through the tough times, where the solution may be hidden amongst the pain. We will want to give up when times get tough. We need to know when we are striving for a losing battle, when we need to press on, or perhaps when our timing isn't quite right. The Bible says, "The sons of Issachar knew the signs of the times..." (1 Chronicles 12:32) But it is out of these solutions that God can be glorified through us. What problem are you called to solve today? Related resource: Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel
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