I hear the phrase alot from christians "I've turned it all over to the Lord & I let him live His life through me." So, if all we are to do is turn it over to Him, does it not seem sorta a passive approach? When the apostle Paul said he had learned to be content (PHILLIPIANS 4:13) I believe he recognized it was his responsibility to be content and to not just turn it over to the Lord & trust Him to do the work of being content. Paul had to work at it and he knew he could only be content through the Lord, who gave him strength. Because of his union "In Christ" he was able by faith to rely upon Christ working in him through His spirit. Paul did not say "Christ shows contentment through me" Rather he said " I have learned to be content through Him who gives me strength"
The apostle Paul urged Timothy to discipline himself to be godly. He had a responsiblity to train himself, yet at the same time he recognized his dependence on the Lord. Paul didn't mean for Timothy to discipline himself in his own strength and willpower, but to be strong in the grace- that is the strength-that is in Christ Jesus. To pursue holiness there must be discipline on our part, but also dependence on the Lord. As we depend on the Lord, He enables us to live a life pleasing to Him.
Some years ago, I was struggling to love a christian sister. God spoke to me about my lack of love for her and I sensed He said to me "If I love her, can you?" I responded " Lord, I can't but I'm willing for You to love her through me." Over time I came to love this person & we are very good friends. Did Jesus then love her through me? No, He enabled me to love her. We are not passive in this pursuit of holiness. We are the one's who love. We are the ones who clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12)But, we do this in utter dependence on Him who gives us strength!
Do I think we don't always sense that strength, you bet. How about when I fail, when I weep over a sin I've committed? Could it be that the Lord is showing me the sinfulness of my own heart? Could it be that I had been depending on my own efforts and how weak I really am and how dependent on Him I really am? Maybe it's spiritual pride and a good cause for me to grow in humility. He best knows how to respond to our dependence. We can plant and we can water, but it is the holy spirit who makes us grow. We must keep in balance our discipline/dependence in the pursuit of holiness and be aware of our tendency to put our confidence in the performance of our disciplines. Remembering Christ's words " Apart from me, you can do nothing." Through the discipline of prayer , we can grow in a conscious sense of dependence on Christ knowing we are utterly helpless without Him.
The apostle Paul urged Timothy to discipline himself to be godly. He had a responsiblity to train himself, yet at the same time he recognized his dependence on the Lord. Paul didn't mean for Timothy to discipline himself in his own strength and willpower, but to be strong in the grace- that is the strength-that is in Christ Jesus. To pursue holiness there must be discipline on our part, but also dependence on the Lord. As we depend on the Lord, He enables us to live a life pleasing to Him.
Some years ago, I was struggling to love a christian sister. God spoke to me about my lack of love for her and I sensed He said to me "If I love her, can you?" I responded " Lord, I can't but I'm willing for You to love her through me." Over time I came to love this person & we are very good friends. Did Jesus then love her through me? No, He enabled me to love her. We are not passive in this pursuit of holiness. We are the one's who love. We are the ones who clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12)But, we do this in utter dependence on Him who gives us strength!
Do I think we don't always sense that strength, you bet. How about when I fail, when I weep over a sin I've committed? Could it be that the Lord is showing me the sinfulness of my own heart? Could it be that I had been depending on my own efforts and how weak I really am and how dependent on Him I really am? Maybe it's spiritual pride and a good cause for me to grow in humility. He best knows how to respond to our dependence. We can plant and we can water, but it is the holy spirit who makes us grow. We must keep in balance our discipline/dependence in the pursuit of holiness and be aware of our tendency to put our confidence in the performance of our disciplines. Remembering Christ's words " Apart from me, you can do nothing." Through the discipline of prayer , we can grow in a conscious sense of dependence on Christ knowing we are utterly helpless without Him.
1 comment:
I love that! thank you so much for posting that!
God Bless
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