What If You Don't Have What It Takes?

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose names both the joy and the sobriety of stepping into something new. The call of God does not merely hand out a new title or a bigger platform. The call asks, “What are you vowing? What are you committing to?” and it makes a person face what the thing will require.

Stewardship gives the right frame for leadership. The church is God’s household, bought by Jesus with his own blood, and therefore no leader owns the house. The steward manages what belongs to the Master, cares for the flock, feeds the household, and lives knowing an account will be given to God. Biblical authority is not autonomous authority, not “my way or the highway.” Biblical authority is accountable authority.

Jesus-shaped leadership turns the org chart upside down. Jesus calls the one who wants to be first to become last, least, and lowest, the servant of all. The towel around Jesus’ waist and the water at the disciples’ feet show that greatness in his kingdom looks like getting down low. The cross makes that pattern even clearer: real leadership does not climb over people but lays itself down for them.

The requirements of stewardship expose a brutal reality: nobody has what it takes in themselves. Above reproach, hospitable, self-controlled, holy, disciplined, faithful: those are not casual requirements. The cultural answers, “You’ve got this” and “fake it till you make it,” cannot produce the power required for God’s call. Weakness cannot be hidden, spun, or overcome by confidence tricks.

Christ gives a better word: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul boasts in weakness because weakness is not the obstacle to power. Weakness is the place where Christ’s power comes to rest. The equation is not weakness minus weakness equals power, and it is not human effort plus God’s grace equals power. The equation is weakness plus God’s grace equals power, period.

The prayer “Lord, I can’t” opens a person to hear God say, “But I can.” The hard seasons, the chaos, the criticism, and the fear of failing may become the very places where God teaches dependence. The willingness to be unimpressive, to start badly, and to keep going creates room for breakthrough. Christ himself was crucified in weakness, yet lives by God’s power. His broken body and shed blood invite empty, weak people to receive the only power they actually need.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Stewards manage what Jesus purchased. Stewardship removes the illusion that leadership belongs to the leader. Jesus paid the price for his church, so every responsibility is held on behalf of the true Owner. Accountability is not a threat to faithful leadership but the shape of it. [15:36]
• 2. Greatness gets low and serves all. Jesus does not redefine greatness as being quietly important. Jesus puts a towel around his waist, kneels down, and washes feet. Authority becomes trustworthy when it is willing to bear the cost of serving those beneath it. [19:04]
• 3. Weakness is the key to power. God’s power does not wait for a person to become impressive enough to deserve it. Christ’s grace becomes visible precisely where self-sufficiency runs out. The honest confession, “Lord, I can’t,” becomes the doorway to strength that does not come from the self. [26:32]
• 4. Stop faking strength before God. “Fake it till you make it” trains people to protect an image rather than receive help. God does not ask for a polished performance or a hidden résumé of competence. Vulnerability before God and others makes room for trust, grace, and real growth. [31:49]
• 5. Christ’s weakness became victory and power. The cross looked like shame, defeat, and failure, but God made it salvation and glory. Communion keeps Christ’s sacrifice in front of the church as the source of every strength. His body broken and blood shed tell weak people that they can come empty and receive his life.
  
  ## [40:09]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:56] - Clear Eyes, Full Hearts
• [02:54] - Knowing What a Call Requires
• [05:57] - Fear and New Beginnings
• [07:09] - The Fear of Not Being Enough
• [09:35] - Called to Be a Steward
• [12:24] - A Stewardship From God
• [14:39] - Steward, Not Owner
• [16:08] - Accountable Authority
• [17:31] - The Upside Down Org Chart
• [20:07] - Required to Be Faithful
• [22:23] - Power Made Perfect in Weakness
• [27:37] - The Prayer: Lord, I Can’t
• [33:34] - Weakness Plus Grace Equals Power
• [40:09] - Communion and the Power of Christ

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 12:9
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” [25:28]

Colossians 1:25
“of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,”

Mark 9:35
“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 1:25, how does Paul describe the ministry he received, and what does that word suggest about who ultimately owns the work? [13:37]
2. What responsibilities of a steward are identified in connection with God’s household, including care, leadership, and accountability? [13:52]
3. In Mark 9:35, what contrast does Jesus make between wanting to be first and becoming a servant? [18:06]
4. According to 2 Corinthians 12:9, where does Christ say his power is made perfect, and how does Paul respond to that truth? [25:28]

Interpretation questions

1. If the church belongs to Jesus because he purchased it at great cost, how should that truth shape the way a person understands leadership, influence, and responsibility in the church? [15:09]
2. Jesus connects greatness with becoming last and serving all. What might distinguish Jesus-shaped service from simply being passive, overworked, or eager to please everyone? [19:18]
3. Paul does not treat weakness as something to hide before God. Why might honest weakness create more room for Christ’s power than self-confidence or a carefully managed image? [26:09]
4. The statement “Lord, I can’t, but I believe you can” holds together human inability and faith in God’s ability. What does this prayer reveal about the kind of dependence God desires from his people? [32:11]

Application questions

1. Where are you facing a new beginning, difficult decision, or responsibility that is exposing the fear that you may not have what it takes? What would it look like to bring that fear honestly to God? [07:09]
2. What has God entrusted to your care—people, money, time, gifts, a family, a team, or a ministry? How would viewing it as stewardship rather than ownership change a specific decision you need to make? [14:39]
3. Think about a place where you have authority or influence. How could you practice “upside-down” leadership this week by choosing a low, practical act of service for someone else? [19:51]
4. Is there an area where you have been trying to “fake it till you make it,” hiding a need for help, a weakness, or a failure? What is one wise and safe step toward honesty with God and another trusted person? [22:13]
5. Are you willing to be seen as unimpressive while learning, serving, apologizing, or trying something new? What is one action you have avoided because you might not do it well? [35:51]
6. In a current hardship, criticism, limitation, or disappointment, how could you move from merely asking God to remove the weakness to asking him to show his sufficient grace within it? [34:50]
7. Christ was crucified in weakness yet lives by God’s power. How does Jesus’ cross change the way you see your own failures and emptiness when you come to him? [40:10]