"If you want something done right..." I don't think I need to finish this phrase because you probably already know how it ends: "you have to do it yourself". If you want to get something, that's your responsibility. If you want an income, a task done, or a letter written the task lies squarely with you. After all, it's pretty difficult to trust another person with something that ought to be your job, right? What if something goes terribly wrong, and you get blamed for it or have no chance to remedy it? No, no, it's far safer to do what you have to do solo.
The problem is that a lifestyle based on doing everything by oneself gets pretty exhausting and can be unproductive. The truth is that everyone makes mistakes, and assuming that only oneself can be trusted is a kind of discouraging view. Not everything should be delegated, but no one can do everything for himself. If you don't agree, here's a good example.
In the days of the Roman empire, the Christian Church was still very young. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was spreading and receiving a varied reception. There were people who agreed with it and people who disagreed with it. Among the more conspicuous of those who did not agree were many of the Jewish folks of the time. An examination of the book of Acts in the New Testament shows that it didn't take long before the religious leaders of the Jews arrested members of the early Church. The reception of the Gospel was rather chilly as far as the Jewish people were concerned. This seemed a bit strange because the Jews had been given a law from God years and years ago that taught them how to serve God. Furthermore, they had been following that law for years (with a few extras) and were looking forward to a Savior who would give them freedom (not just spiritual freedom either, for Israel was under Roman domination at the time). When Jesus came, the ancient prophecies about their expected Savior started coming true. The Jews as a whole, however, did not see Jesus for Who He was (and is), and so when the earliest followers of Christ started trying to proclaim Him as the fulfillment of God's promise they met some of their most adamant opposition at the hands of their brothers and sisters! One example is Saul, a man then obsessed with trying to destroy the Church. The story of how his mind was changed can be read in Acts chapter 9. He received a name change from Saul to Paul and became one of the early Church's great leaders. He also wrote a number of letters to different Churches internationally, one of which is his epistle to the Romans. He spends some time in the letter talking about the spiritual condition of the Jews. We pick up His words in Romans 9:30 and continue into chapter 10:
"What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
10 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 9:30-10:13, ESV, emphasis added).
The Jews were working for do-it-yourself righteousness. They wanted to be justified and good in God's eyes, but they wanted it on their own terms, trying to work out their path to being "good enough" for God. They saw a righteous life as something they had to make for themselves, and because they insisted on doing it their way, many missed Jesus when He came to earth. Here's a question:
The problem is that a lifestyle based on doing everything by oneself gets pretty exhausting and can be unproductive. The truth is that everyone makes mistakes, and assuming that only oneself can be trusted is a kind of discouraging view. Not everything should be delegated, but no one can do everything for himself. If you don't agree, here's a good example.
In the days of the Roman empire, the Christian Church was still very young. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was spreading and receiving a varied reception. There were people who agreed with it and people who disagreed with it. Among the more conspicuous of those who did not agree were many of the Jewish folks of the time. An examination of the book of Acts in the New Testament shows that it didn't take long before the religious leaders of the Jews arrested members of the early Church. The reception of the Gospel was rather chilly as far as the Jewish people were concerned. This seemed a bit strange because the Jews had been given a law from God years and years ago that taught them how to serve God. Furthermore, they had been following that law for years (with a few extras) and were looking forward to a Savior who would give them freedom (not just spiritual freedom either, for Israel was under Roman domination at the time). When Jesus came, the ancient prophecies about their expected Savior started coming true. The Jews as a whole, however, did not see Jesus for Who He was (and is), and so when the earliest followers of Christ started trying to proclaim Him as the fulfillment of God's promise they met some of their most adamant opposition at the hands of their brothers and sisters! One example is Saul, a man then obsessed with trying to destroy the Church. The story of how his mind was changed can be read in Acts chapter 9. He received a name change from Saul to Paul and became one of the early Church's great leaders. He also wrote a number of letters to different Churches internationally, one of which is his epistle to the Romans. He spends some time in the letter talking about the spiritual condition of the Jews. We pick up His words in Romans 9:30 and continue into chapter 10:
"What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The Jews were working for do-it-yourself righteousness. They wanted to be justified and good in God's eyes, but they wanted it on their own terms, trying to work out their path to being "good enough" for God. They saw a righteous life as something they had to make for themselves, and because they insisted on doing it their way, many missed Jesus when He came to earth. Here's a question:
How often have we done the same?
I'm not saying that as Christians we've rejected Jesus so we could earn our own righteousness. What I'm saying is that we often think that the areas of our lives or the areas of our walk with God that aren't in great shape are something we can fix by ourselves. This isn't true, though. It's tempting to think that we are a great resource for ourselves, but the truth is that no solution to fix ourselves that we create can ever perfect us or even really improve us much. Struggles with temptation, strained relationships, ugly addictions, and nasty tempers are not things that we can (or should) handle on our own. We need the help of God to work through our struggles and troubles. It's by His power that we're saved so why on earth do we sometimes go "Now I can take it from here?" God wants to be involved with every area of our lives. So when we shut Him out and try to handle things on our own, not only are we shooting ourselves in the foot, but we're actually hurting God. Now please don't take what I'm saying as a memo from some perfect Christian to make you realize what a failure you are. I can't even begin to claim that I've let God help me in every struggle. I've tried way too often to handle things by myself, and it just doesn't work out. That's why I'm grateful for God and the fact that no matter how many times we fail to acknowledge or ask Him to help us, He stands waiting for us to simple call on His name. Where are you struggling today? Call on God to help you in that area, no matter what it is.
If you've never called on God before but want to, it's your time. Like every person, you've sinned against God and disobeyed His commands. You've fallen short of His glory, and you don't deserve Him, but you're in good company. No person has ever completely followed God and done what He said except for One Man, and His name is Jesus. He is the Son of God, and He came to earth fully human yet fully God, and He lived a perfect life so that He could die on a cross and shed His blood to wash away your sins. He rose from the dead three days later, and now He's still sitting at His Father's right hand. His gift to you is freedom from your sins, eternal life with Him, and the Holy Spirit to help you through the rest of your life. There are no strings attached, but once you accept Him, you will never be the same. He's calling you. Are you ready to come to Him? If you are, you could pray something like this. Just speak to God. You don't have to look in a certain direction. Just talk to Him because He's listening.
Dear God, I'm a sinner. I've done wrong and disobeyed You, fallen short of Your standards and made myself unworthy of You. But I believe that You sent Jesus Your Son to die on a cross for my sin, and that You raised Him on the third day, and that He now sits at Your right hand. I confess You Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and as the ruler of my life. Please come into my heart and send me Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for making me free. In Jesus name, Amen.
Whether you've said that prayer for the first time, or you've been following Jesus for a long time, you need to know that God loves you more than you can even quantify. He wants to take care of you and be with you, and He's interested in you. In the words of Psalm 40:5:
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered. (NKJV)
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered. (NKJV)
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
(ESV Means English Standard Version)
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