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