Living The Christian Life -You Can't Do It On Your Own

My Utmost For His Highest

 

…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… —2 Corinthians 10:5

 

“So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). Then compare this with what we do— we take “every thought” or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.[…] We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ’s view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to “be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind….” (Romans 12:2)."  CHAMBERS

 

I was thinking about a meeting I had with some “missionaries” in Haiti a few years ago.  I put the word, missionaries, in quotes because the qualification to be on mission is that you have been given a mission from God.  There are many people who are serving, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, on the compulsion of wanting to do something good and not through the unction of the Holy Spirit.  But back to my story.  Over the course of time I had often listened to them talk about how difficult life in Haiti was for them .. on this particular occasion, I was giving a devotion at a meeting.  I told them that if God had not sent them to Haiti, then they should go home.  I realized that may have sounded unfeeling toward their struggle, but my point was this.  If you have been called by God to serve, then you have been called to something that is beyond you.  It is something you cannot do apart from God.  So, if you are trying to serve in your own strength, then you will not be able to stand up under the weight of it. God never intended for you to prove yourself by doing it without Him, but rather to prove yourself by serving with Him.  If you have not been called by God, then you should go home.

 

The same applies to living the Christian life.  God has given you His Spirit as a deposit, a guarantee for eternal life.  But the Holy Spirit is also the source of our spiritual strength.  God never intended that you would live your new life successfully on your own.  Jesus demonstrated the relationship we must have. “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19) And neither can we, but that doesn’t keep us from trying, does it?  ELGIN