We’ve all been in situations in which we intellectually knew the right thing to do, but couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. Religion tells us Jesus is enough for our salvation, as long as we perform well enough to meet His requirements. The truth is that when we’re struggling and unable to bear spiritual fruit, God’s grace—and His grace, alone—bears us up and sustains us until we can. Jesus is more than enough.
We don’t have to worry that if we don’t do everything right, God will cut us off. He still accepts us even if our faith is not yet at the level we know it should be. Weakness in the areas where we feel we should be strong isn’t cause for alarm because Jesus strengthens us in those areas when we trust in Him. His grace is sufficient for us; His strength is made perfect in weakness.
Jesus doesn’t need our self-efforts to save us. He did everything that needed to be done for our salvation on the cross, without our help. This is good news because, when our efforts fall short, we’re still saved by our faith in His grace. The world thinks of sin in terms of actions, but we also sin when our thinking doesn’t line up with God’s Word. Worry, fear, anxiety, and every other negative emotion that the world tolerates are sins. However, our worries and fears aren’t strong enough to short-circuit Jesus’ power to save. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.
We don’t need to be wracked with guilt because we’re not moving as fast on our Christian walk as we think we should. We can’t possibly produce fruit on our own; only by being attached to the vine do we see results. Christ is our Vine and, when we’re in Him, He’s all we need for us to bear much fruit. Through Him, we experience success without the struggle.
Prayer:
God, we could never do enough to save ourselves through our actions. Your Son did everything necessary in this area, and nothing else is needed. Depending on Him frees us from having to depend on ourselves. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
- Ephesians 2:8
- Romans 5:20
- John 15:4, 5