[soc.religion.christian] Lord, Help me!

emery@tc.fluke.COM (John Emery) (05/18/91)

Ever realize how frustrating it is to pray "Lord, help me to be a better
Christian today" and "Lord, help me to pray more" and "Lord, help me to
think about you more"?  While, these are good prayers, when prayed day
after day, they simply become a frustrated prayer, focused totally on one's
self and one's spritual shortcommings.  Often, the prayers can borderline
on pleas to God, resulting in discouragement: "Lord, please!  You know I
want to serve you better, help me!"  We almost get convinced that God is
holding out on us, perhaps to teach us something, and deep inside our
prayers may be subtle attempts to persuade God.

Yet, how great the freedom to realize that He is not holding out you and
I.  The answer lies not in the believer focusing on his inadequacies, but
on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  There will always be frustration when
the focus is directed on self, for it is written "All have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

And we fail to realize that it is Jesus and the power that comes with His
presence in us that overcomes.  That's where faith comes in.  When our
faith is not directed on Him, our vision turns inward on ourself and we
strive and labor and depend upon self-sufficient effort to try to earn
victory ourselves.  But faith in what Jesus accomplished for us on the
cross, through His death and resurrection in our place, brings peace and
confidence, knowing that He is our sufficiency.

The eyes of faith look not to the believer's inadequate status, but to
the awesome power of Jesus Christ inside the believer.  These eyes of
faith look to the end, knowing that He will complete the work, because 
HE is able (not ourselves).  Freedom comes from the precious promises:

"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you WILL
 carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
						(Philippians 1:6)

"To HIM WHO IS ABLE to keep you from falling and to present you before
 His glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only
 God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus
 Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen."
						(Jude 24-25)

"Now to HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or 
 imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be
 glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations,
 forever and ever!  Amen."			(Ephesians 3:20-21)

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His
 good purpose."					(Philippians 2:13)

This list goes on.  Through faith in the gracious truth of our salvation 
and the Jesus' power inside of us, there is freedom from the dangling
self worth of failing to please God by using our inadequacies as a 
measuring rod.  Therefore, live your life totally for God, free from
condemnation and accusing thoughts with your eyes total on Jesus and
confident in He is all you need, for:

"You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."   (Col. 3:3)

I hope the hearts of the saints are refreshed!

With love in Christ,

John Emery
emery@tc.fluke.COM