“But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26
Every tree must grow from the root out of which it springs. The largest, oldest oak in the forest still grows from that first, foundational root that first gave it life. The same is true of the Christian life. The life of every follower of Christ is rooted in the truth of God’s omnipotence – His awesome power. Our lives, therefore, should be a continual display of the glorious power of God.
Our lives should display the endless possibilities of God’s power and grace. What man is unable to do apart from God, he can do through the power of God. With God, we can forgive. With God, we can give sacrificially. With God, we can stop that besetting sin. With God, we can put the needs of others before our own. With God, that which was impossible becomes a reality.
Why, then, are so many of us floundering in our spiritual lives, unable to find the joy and satisfaction that God has promised in His Son? Why can’t we stop doing that sin that we continually repent from and try to change? Did God lie? Are some things simply impossible?
Notice that Jesus said, “All things are possible.” He didn’t say, “All things are definite,” or, “All things are a given.” We still have a part to play. We must choose to completely surrender to God’s work in our lives. So often, we want God to bless our efforts with His power. We want to make our plans, work our plan, and then bring God in to bless our human efforts. That is not how it works. The endless possibilities of God’s power are unleashed through surrender…the giving up of our own ideas and plans in faith to God. It is in saying, “Not my will but Yours,” that God’s power is fully unleashed in our lives, as it was in Jesus’ life that night in Gethsemane.
Have you forgotten the root from which your life in Christ sprung? You were not saved by your own power, nor can you grow through your own efforts. We must all surrender to the endless possibilities of God’s omnipotence. Only then will we become a display for His glory.
God, please forgive me for the times I try to change myself. Help me to fully surrender my will to You, so that others will see Your glory through my life. In Jesus's name, amen.
Topics: Grace
