"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." (Philippians 2:12-13*, the darker text is ours)
Maybe you have faced your own inadequacy, or perhaps at this very moment, you are introspecting and not liking what you find. Whether you feel inadequate or "too much," whether you observe foolishness or pride in yourself, hesitancy or overconfidence, passivity or explosiveness, fear or recklessness—there will always be something to disappoint you about yourself. An inward look will always reveal things for which we could not be proud, and more than that—for these traits and shortcomings, we might go to the other extreme—deliberately closing our eyes and ears to the rebuke and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because we feel powerless against our sinful nature and do not believe that we can truly change.
When we look at things this way, we cannot correctly perceive all the instructions and commands God gives us in the Scriptures. These commands will seem limiting, too burdensome, and even unachievable. God might seem like a strict teacher who chills the blood of students with just a glance, and for whom a 'C' is as good as an 'A'. Is this how God wants us to feel about ourselves and about Him?
In fact, our weakness and inability to help ourselves are no secret to God. Moreover, He wants us to feel weak on our own, but strong in Him. When Apostle Paul prays to God to rid him of a weakness in his body, which is not detailed in the Bible (there are theories that it might be an eye condition of Paul's), he receives the following answer from God: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9a*) Subsequently, the apostle himself declares: "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9b*) At first glance, there seems to be no connection between physical problems like weakness, on one hand, and imperfections in man's character like moral or spiritual weakness, on the other. In both cases, however, we learn that there are things that depend solely and entirely on God. When we realize this, humility and understanding of man's complete dependence on God come to our hearts.
God understands our inability to help ourselves; therefore, He has accomplished our salvation on the Cross: "for the law of the Spirit of life through Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering." (Romans 8:2-3*, the darker font is ours)
If we live with the same confidence as Apostle Paul, if we realize that with our strength and good deeds we cannot save ourselves or even improve our state, if we are assured of the greatness of God's power and love, which can transform any human soul that accepts them, then we are on the right path.
Let's keep this idea in mind for the new week: "Not I, but God can do everything in me and through me that is pleasing to Him and good for others. When I despair of myself, I will run to Him for help. When I am disappointed in others, I will run to Him for comfort. When I see good results, I will hasten to thank Him".
*The biblical quotes are according to the text from the Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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