The Lord is the source of all my strength. Without Him, I will fail at any and every endeavor. This works itself out in two ways practically in my life.
First, I must rely on Him even in the small things. There is nothing that should not be approached from a God-centered perspective, and nothing that can be approached without it. Even if I think that in the moment there is no problem with going a day without prayer or rushing through a devotional time, the effects are overwhelming. In those moments my self-centered attitude shows and forces me to rely upon my own power to overcome. When I rely upon myself in the smallest things, I am approaching life from my own standpoint, out of how I see the world and what I need, rather than who God is and what He desires for me. It turns out that what He most desires for me is my greatest good: to live every moment in close relationship with Him.
Not only must I rely on Him in the small things, but I can trust Him in the big things. When God is the driving motivator and power in every action and thought process in my life, it gives me incredible freedom. There is now no risk of failure, since there is no way for me to “mess up” His plan! If I abide in Him continually, He will accomplish exactly what He desires through me. I must approach life from a perspective of the Powerful Promise-Keeper, not my own small view of the control I have over my surroundings.
The true struggle of the believer, I have found, is not to master a discipline, nor to pursue greater devotion, nor even to completely free ourselves from sin. Indeed, we can do none of these things on our own. The greatest struggle of the believer is to more fully understand and believe the Gospel! Understanding who God is and how He sees us is vastly more important than who we are or how we see God. As J.D. Greer says, there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and nothing you have done that makes Him love you less. Believe in the Gospel, and bring it often before your eyes, for there is true strength. This is not an abdication of effort in sanctification, but a realization of the source of that effort. God-centered theology and thinking will motivate God-centered practice and living, illuminating the world around us and pointing towards Christ.
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