Alone we are weak, but together we are strong. The bible tells us that working together we are strong.
Even if we feel alone in the work of God if it is God's work then God is with us. We can do all things by the power of God.
If God is for us we are on a good path indeed. Too often we worry what others will think. We let others persuade us what the will of go is or is not.
Often we are weak because we let others dissuade us from doing the will of God. Following God is all we need to do. If God approves of us that we have succeeded in life.
The standard of our success is our faithfulness to God. If we have followed Jesus then all else pales in comparison.
Showing posts with label weak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weak. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Christlikeness
Often people like to talk about being or becoming more like Christ but underestimate the difficulty. Christ is perfect and we are imperfect people.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, and the good news is that the Holy Spirit helps every Christian in this. Through the Holy Spirit, God offers us help, even when we feel weak.
"It is the Spirit of God that enables us to grow and begin to keep his commandments. Each day we grow a bit by faith," Danny writes in "The Relationship of Justification and Works."
"Two of the Holy Spirit's chief delights are to show us the glory of Christ and to change us into the image of Christ," says John Stott in Life in Christ. "Sanctification is the process by which we are being transformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit of Christ."
In the book, Stott offers this example:
For more on this topic:
That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, and the good news is that the Holy Spirit helps every Christian in this. Through the Holy Spirit, God offers us help, even when we feel weak.
"It is the Spirit of God that enables us to grow and begin to keep his commandments. Each day we grow a bit by faith," Danny writes in "The Relationship of Justification and Works."
"Two of the Holy Spirit's chief delights are to show us the glory of Christ and to change us into the image of Christ," says John Stott in Life in Christ. "Sanctification is the process by which we are being transformed into the image of Christ by the Spirit of Christ."
In the book, Stott offers this example:
William Temple helped people in his day to grasp the Christian way of holiness by drawing an analogy between Shakespeare and Jesus, and declaring the impossibility of copying either. How could we ever write plays like Shakespeare's? How could we ever live a life like Christ's? It is impossible. The very suggestion is ludicrous. Ah, but if the genius of Shakespeare were able to enter us, then we could write plays like him, and if the Spirit of Jesus were able to enter us, then we could live a life like him. The good news is that although we cannot have the genius of Shakespeare we can have the Spirit of Jesus! The Christian way of holiness is not that we struggle to live like Jesus but that he by his Spirit comes to live in us.Some verses on the Spirit's work in becoming Christlike are 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:5-9, and Galatians 5:22-23.
For more on this topic:
- "Christian love is supernatural in origin. It flows from our union with Christ in his death and the Holy Spirit working in our hearts," Danny writes in "Christian Living is Based on the Gospel."
- "When we dig into the word, God can cause incredible things to happen if he dwells in our heart," Danny says in "Christianity Is About a Relationship."
- "When a man accepts Jesus and begins to be transformed by sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit he becomes who he was always meant to be," Danny writes in "Becoming Somone." "When we follow God in faith our lives are enriched."
Saturday, September 28, 2013
To backtrack
It is interesting the principle of never backtracking. In life we should forge ahead and not backtrack.
I suppose everyone understands that there is a time to backtrack when we are lost. But to admit we have lost the trail is always difficult.
The reality is that as fallen people we constantly lose the trail. So backtracking to the rail is an important part of following God.
I suppose often what we as a society would call backtracking is what the bible would call repentance. But we do not like to repent because to repent would indicate we have left the trail.
Repentance is of course a “turning around” really it is a backtracking to where we should have been. Why do we not like repentance and backtracking? We do we absolutize these as not desirable?
I suppose it is because we are proud and pride is a very fundamental human sin. To admit we are lost is to admit we are weak.
We do not wish to admit we are weak, but the reality is we are weak. We may not like the fact but it is true.
No matter how strong we are can be defeated at any moment by the forces of nature, an accident or a disease.
We wish to believe we can be like God, by we are feeble and frail. Luckily God is the God of the feeble and frail.
The bible says that God came to save the poor and low in the world. Why?
Well we are all poor and low in the world. The only difference is that some of us are aware of the fact and some of us are not.
We can have faith in ourselves but we will all fade and while some men may be remembered in history books they too have died.
They are remembered as great. But the are remembered because they are no more. They too have fallen and their true strength rests in where their ultimate trust is.
I suppose everyone understands that there is a time to backtrack when we are lost. But to admit we have lost the trail is always difficult.
The reality is that as fallen people we constantly lose the trail. So backtracking to the rail is an important part of following God.
I suppose often what we as a society would call backtracking is what the bible would call repentance. But we do not like to repent because to repent would indicate we have left the trail.
Repentance is of course a “turning around” really it is a backtracking to where we should have been. Why do we not like repentance and backtracking? We do we absolutize these as not desirable?
I suppose it is because we are proud and pride is a very fundamental human sin. To admit we are lost is to admit we are weak.
We do not wish to admit we are weak, but the reality is we are weak. We may not like the fact but it is true.
No matter how strong we are can be defeated at any moment by the forces of nature, an accident or a disease.
We wish to believe we can be like God, by we are feeble and frail. Luckily God is the God of the feeble and frail.
The bible says that God came to save the poor and low in the world. Why?
Well we are all poor and low in the world. The only difference is that some of us are aware of the fact and some of us are not.
We can have faith in ourselves but we will all fade and while some men may be remembered in history books they too have died.
They are remembered as great. But the are remembered because they are no more. They too have fallen and their true strength rests in where their ultimate trust is.
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