A Reflection On Relying On Christ

When I need to depend only on God

Our natural tendency is to try hard, study diligently, and train ourselves to be the disciples we were meant to be. But when we use all this self-effort to attain our own growth, we quickly find ourselves feeling like failures. We come to a startling conclusion: only Jesus can live the Christian life; we can’t.

Much of the Christian life is God stripping us of our self-effort so that He can live His life in us without our interference. We stress and strain over our discipleship, but God is after our trust in His strength. When we find ourselves in circumstances that are beyond our control, we are to realize our weakness and rely on His strength. God often places us in situations in which we are over our heads in order to teach us this. He must break us of self-reliance. We are never to depend on our own strength and strategies. We are to be utterly dependent on the power of God that works in us and in our circumstances.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5