Living Beyond Ourselves

I have a real concern that we have a new form of worldliness living among us.  It is not bad theology but simply living in our own strength and wisdom.  We are called to something bigger than ourselves.  We are called to a task we cannot possibly do on our own.  We cannot live simply by human wisdom.  From our point of view, God often asks of us things which seem impossible.  If we are not willing to step out of the boat we will never know what God wants to do through our obedience.  Obedience today is the seed of tomorrow’s blessings.  Without a doubt many dumb things have been done in the name of God.  It is easy to try to impose our will on Him and then live in disappointment because it did not work out.  This does not negate the fact that God often seeks to stretch our faith by asking more of us than we can accomplish in our own strength.  Living Beyond Ourselves takes us beyond our own resources.  When we only commit to the human part then we are not likely to ever see the God part.  Why should God do for us what we can do for ourselves?  Let’s not narrow our definition of worldliness to the way we dress or the places we go.  Worldliness masks itself in many ways.  It shows up in our decision making, it shows up in church politics and again and again when we try to run the Church as a business.  Our decisions can’t all be made at the end of a pencil but on our knees.  The first question is not, “can we afford it” but is it His will?  The truth is we can’t afford not to embrace His will.  Living out His will we live Beyond Ourselves.  jfs

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5 NKJV)