My efforts vs. God’s enabling

 
In our small group Bible study, my focus is often on the flesh vs. spirit issue but received as if I’m saying we don’t do anything — all of our obedience is God’s doing. But I’ve not made clear that there are two “we’s” in the discussion. The flesh is dead and useless. To obey God, I must be walking in the Spirit, not the flesh which is my old nature. The problem is that I have not been clarifying which “we” is helpless and which is able to obey.

Another confusion is that many Christians do not recognize when the flesh is at work (even though it is dead to God) or what being filled with the Spirit is like. Many do not want to examine their motivations but it seems vital to me that I know why I do what I am doing.

Today’s reading begins with a question about pursuing faith. Since it is a gift from God, do i try to increase it? As with anything else He grants, I cannot make it happen without faith or by my human efforts, but God is eager to enable me to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” so that He is glorified “both now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18) Certainly faith is a gift from God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake… (Philippians 1:29)

Other verses show that faith is granted to us by a revelation to our hearts. That is, He makes it possible for me to believe. This is also a gift as Jesus told Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17) Otherwise, flesh remains in darkness. We need the gift of new life and the light from God which He shines “in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Even though faith is a gift, the Bible says it needs to grow so I am trusting Him all the time. What is true for salvation — “faith comes from hearing through the word of Christ” — is also true after that new life comes. Being in the Word, spending time with Jesus and with His Body, and obeying Him are important, yet also must be activities of the new nature. The flesh can go through the motions but is not the way to build faith or express it. If I do anything, even what seems like ‘good works’ I am not honoring God nor producing fruit without His enabling.

So faith is about walking in the Spirit, not the flesh, and about glorifying God and not doing things to make the old nature feel good or be praiseworthy. I now see when I talk about being useless, I need to better clarify that all that talk is about the old me — and my flesh needs to be ignored. The new nature listens to God and obeys. This means that I need to be able to discern which is which. The old nature wants to rule things and can imitate or fake godliness and render my actions useless to serve or honor God.

PRAY: Jesus, Thank You for clarifying how to better explain when I make comments about passages like John 15:1-5 or 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and how ‘I’ am useless yet I can do all things through Christ. Most Christians tend to be unaware of the flesh-spirit conflict because they have not recognized the differences or do not want to admit how the flesh messes with their faith. You want me to be clear about my battles so all of us are better at walking in Your Spirit and enable to do so by Your amazing grace.

What is God like?

 

Soon into my Christian life I realized that my concept of God was more like my human Father than the God of the Bible revealed in Jesus Christ. My parents were told I would not live past sixteen years, so they tended to over-protect me, give me whatever I wanted, and treat me with kid gloves. At first, I thought God would be like that, and in some ways He is, but not entirely.

God is far more than even the very best people. He does protect me. Soon after He saved me, He revealed this to me:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

From that, I realized that nothing would happen to me that would harm me. If anything was not for my good, it simply would not happen. Not only that, this is God’s goal: that I become more and more like Jesus. I can remember the day that this was revealed to me and the joy that filled my heart.

But God does not always give me what I want. That old nature takes notions now and then of wanting what God forbids, or wanting what He knows would not be good for me. On the other hand, I can remember a few requests made to Him when I added, “Just because You love me” that He did grant that request. Again I experienced the joy of knowing God is generous and gracious, not to spoil me or have me treat Him as a genie in a bottle, but to always want the best for me.

He does not treat me with kid gloves. Well, He does in some ways. I’ve not experienced many horrible things that have happened to other Christians, like being burned at the stake, or beaten because of my faith, or mocked and ridiculed for trusting Christ. I’ve had sarcasm and verbal abuse only to a mild degree and I am thankful, but realize that this could increase. The most painful comes when people I love treat me as if I’m an idiot for trusting Jesus Christ. It hurts me, but much of that hurt is for their sake, not mine. My prayers are for them to know the Lord and the joy of knowing Him, not for them to believe so I will feel better.

My parents, because they thought I would not live, didn’t teach me much about life. That worked out to an advantage in that I’ve been eager to learn about life from Jesus Christ. He teaches me how to live from His Word and from the example of other Christians. I can thank Him for others who have loved me and in their life I could see the love of God and follow their example, loving them more, and others more, and Jesus more.

God also teaches me from the negatives. When I see people act in unloving ways that harm others, hurt feelings, or make me cringe, God is teaching me what not to do. This may sound like normal living for others, but for a child who was not taught how to live, every lesson is so important.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Yet even without good or bad examples, Jesus shines into hearts as the glory of God. He is enough to reveal the wonder of this God who loves us unconditionally.

PRAY: Lord, I’m tired from the process of moving, but energized from thinking about You and the very basics of Your love and care that are the foundation of my life. Thank You for being with me, in me, teaching and protecting, answering prayer, taking care of all needs. Yes Jesus, You are all I need.

The Light in my life

People with Seasonal Affected Disorder will not enjoy today. The skies are dull as they gently drizzle the first spring rain. Dry and dusty streets perk up and the yard eagerly drinks, but I’m turning on lights that would not be needed on normal days. 

SAD has never bothered me, but even if it did, there is another kind of darkness that is much worse, but a darkness from which I have also been delivered. This darkness is spiritual, a darkness describing as the condition of those who do not know or walk with Jesus Christ who declared Himself the Light of the world.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life… (John 8:12) I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:46)

I didn’t get out of this darkness myself, but I do remember the day it happened. I was sitting in my living room reading a book. This book had a verse from the Bible in it, and as I read that verse, the room seemed to be filled with light. At that moment, Jesus Christ came into my life. I know this is not the way everyone becomes a Christian, but for me, being turned from darkness to light was a vivid experience.

(God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13) For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

At that moment, Christ delivered me from “darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” and I received “forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith” in Christ. (Acts 26:17–18) This powerful event showed me the reality of God’s power. Even as a candle in a dark room forces darkness to dissipate, the light of God drives the darkness of sin from the human heart. As John wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) For me, this light changed my life forever.

Now, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am responsible to walk in the light God has given me. Scripture associates lies from Satan and any sin in response to those lies as “the works of darkness” and tells me to not go there. Instead I am to expose all darkness with His light.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:6–14)

I cannot be in right relationship to God and at the same time walk in darkness. However, since He has given me the Light of life in Jesus Christ, I am no longer overcome by darkness. What an amazing wonder that Jesus shines on me! This is a powerful truth, one that others need to hear.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7)

Just as SAD makes some people sad and depressed, darkness also robs people of joy and the freedom they could know by having light in their lives. This light is available, not by trying to turn it on ourselves, but by receiving it from God as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ, a gift God is eager to give to anyone who desires it.

---

Lord, what joy You give to those who are in Your Light. Even on dull and dreary days or even in the midst of trials and struggles, You shine in my heart and give me glimpses of Your glory. That is all I need to remain joyful, no matter what might be going on in my world. Thank You. Thank You also for the rain and the promise that green grass, tulips, leaf buds and other new growth will soon follow.