Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Stop Trying to Be Someone You're Not | Historical Books | 2 Kings 4:1-17

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. Imagine you walked into a job interview and they asked for your top three weaknesses. Most of us would say something safe, like, I tend to overthink things. I'm a perfectionist. I'm not great at over-collaboration. But what if I said?

Starting point is 00:00:29 My weaknesses are responsibility, discipline, and analytical. Not very inspiring, right? Well, that's actually straight from my Gallup strength finder, my lowest three traits, number 32 through 34. Would you be ready to hire me? Now, what if I told you my top strengths are relator, learner, and belief, which means I can be curious, compassionate, loyal, connected, purposeful, and that I use those to build teams of people who can execute plan and carry out the vision. Suddenly, that sounds different, doesn't it? The point is this. What if you quit trying to be something you're not and instead leaned on others where you are weak? That idea isn't just good advice for teams, for workplaces, some psychological ideology. It's something

Starting point is 00:01:19 scripture points us toward as well. Gallup's advice is simple. Don't waste your life trying to fix your weaknesses, but manage them. Focus your energy on developing your natural strengths. Why? Well, weaknesses are persistent. You can improve them a little, apparently, but they'll never actually fuel you. Strengths, though, have unlimited growth. When you build on them, you get exponential results. And strengths give life. They energize you, and your weaknesses actually drain you. That's why your strengths matter so much. They give you a common language to describe who you are, how you operate, and when you share them with others, it helps relationships grow and deepen. In other words, acknowledging weakness is actually a key to unleashing your strengths. And in a team, this means leaning into others where you are not gifted and letting them lean on you.

Starting point is 00:02:15 No guilt, no shame, just interdependence. Now, that same principle comes alive in 2nd Kings 4, where weakness and desperation become the setting for God's strength. A widow comes to the prophet Elisha. Her husband has died, the creditors are calling. She's literally about to lose her two sons into slavery because they're going to be sold to pay off her debts. She is completely desperate. Elisha responds, how can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?

Starting point is 00:02:46 Well, I mean, imagine what she's thinking. She has nothing. But her answer is, nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil. So Elisha tells her, go to your neighbors and ask for empty jars. And don't just ask for a few. Then go inside with your sons, shut the door, and start pouring. So she does. And the oil keeps flowing, jar after jar, until there are no containers left.

Starting point is 00:03:11 So with the miracle oil, she pays off her debts. Her sons are saved and they actually have enough left over to live on. It's a simple story, but it says a lot about how God manages our weaknesses and how we can lean on him to be our strength. The woman was weak in every sense. She was poor. She was vulnerable. She was powerless. She was desperate. And yet, God knew her. God saw her. God cared for her. And God provided for her. The same is true for us. God cares about the things that keep us up at night, no matter how big or small they are. Paul shares a truth with us in Galatians 2, 20, and 21 about God's care. it comes through his identity with us.

Starting point is 00:03:56 Paul says, my old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. Well, what does that mean? The heart of it is that Christ himself becomes your life. When you belong to Christ, he doesn't give you a mask or a persona to get you through the day. He gives you himself. Without him, we live in less.

Starting point is 00:04:23 versions of ourselves. We live in our identity as the smart one, the pretty one, the driven one, the rich one, the rule follower, the victim. But in Christ, you're not defined by your strengths or your weaknesses. You can be who you are, not trying to prove something, not hiding your weaknesses, not pretending to be someone that you're not, just you, secure in him, growing to be more like him. And in that identity, you can live with joy and peace. A song by Mission House called Sing With All Your Heart really puts this into words. We sing it at church on Sunday and I've just been thinking about it, so I'm going to share it with you, and I hope that you'll look it up after this podcast and give it a listen. It goes like this. Let the weak look to their brother.

Starting point is 00:05:11 Lean on a shoulder when they can't stand. No shame in needing one another. Reach out and take hold of a healing hand. Rejoice again. I say. Rejoice. Sinners, strangers were welcomed in. Lift up your hands. Lift up your voice. Sing with all your heart, he calls you friend. Let the strong carry their neighbor. Bind up the wounded and wash their feet. Open your door and set your table. The place of honor for the least of these. Rejoice. Again, I say rejoice. Sinners, strangers, were welcomed in. Lift up your hands, lift up your voice. Sing with all your heart, he calls you friend. That's the invitation of the gospel.

Starting point is 00:05:57 Weak or strong, poor or rich, we are welcomed in. God calls you friend.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Stop Trying to Be Someone You're Not | Historical Books | 2 Kings 4:1-17

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