Be 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 born out of His love for mankind. 

God calls us as His children to be solution-driven. He calls us to be "solutionists", just like He was. Jesus solved a major problem - the eternal death of mankind. And it is by our 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 also how we have influence in culture, by solving problems.

The first key of being a solutionist is having intimacy and 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. Perseverance to see the solution come to pass, to see the solution through to the end. We need perseverance to get through the tough times, where the solution may be hidden amongst the pain. Sometimes 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 Chron 12:32) It is out of these solutions we provide others with that God can be glorified through us and His reign established on earth.

What problem today are you called to solve?