Where in the bible does it say ...

God helps those who help themselves

God only gives us what are strong enough to handle

I have to accept it and live with it, it is God's will

Money is the root of all evil

Do you know what each of those famous verses from the bible has in common?  What they have in common is that none of them are from the bible.

For many of the weeks  this summer I plan to take a famous verse from the bible that is not in the bible and examine it.  Most of those verses impart wisdom or truth, of a sort.  But what sort of truth?  And how much wisdom? 

I believe that proverbial wisdom – and by that I mean sayings such as the ones listed above – is mostly true.  Not absolutely true, but mostly true.  Robert Fulghum in his book Maybe (Maybe Not)  has a collection of proverbial sayings that stand in opposition to each other, sort of:  Look before you leap and He who hesitates is lost.  Or how about:  Two heads are better than one  and If you want something done right, do it yourself.   Properly explained all four of those are true.   Of course, they are all also false.

This Sunday I begin with:   God helps those who help themselves.

Have you found that to be true in your own life?  Have you suggested to others that they practice the “truth and wisdom” in that saying?

What other advice have you been given that parallels “God helps those who help themselves?”

The Gospel reading that we lectionary preachers are using this week is from Mark. 

He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. ²⁸The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
³⁰He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The first parable seems to point to the power of God dong things on its own.  The second is traditionally interpreted to invite us to use the small grain of faith that is in us to do great things.

One of the blogs I read has these two stories.  Like the Fulghum proverbs, they stand opposed to each other.

1.The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, began her orphanage with such a vision. She told her superiors, "I have three pennies and a dream From God to build an orphanage." A dream and three pennies represented resources as small as a mustard seed. "Mother Teresa," her superiors chided gently, "you cannot build an orphanage with three pennies...with three pennies you can't do anything." "I know," she said, smiling, "but with God and three pennies I can do anything."

There we have it    we just do a little, start with a little, and God multiplies the effort magnificently.

2. Old story about a man who bought a house with an overgrown garden. The weeds had long since taken over the garden and it was a mess. But slowly the man began to clear the weeds, till the soil and plant the seeds. Finally, he had made it into a showcase garden. One day the minister came to visit, and when he saw the beautiful flowers and plants, he observed, "Well, friend, you and God have done a marvelous job on this garden." To which the homeowner replied, "You should have seen it when God had it by himself."

God does not do much – it is we  who have to work the field and make it happen.

Which one of those tales reflects your life?