for Christ's sake, let Him do it!

Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest made the following comment:

 

If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot.

 

I wasted many years under the weight of Law complaining to God that I could not do it. I cried out in fear and despair requesting assistance to fulfill His Holy and righteous commands. I doubted my place in Christ often and pled with Him often to make me who I wished to be and who I knew He required me to be.

 

In recent years I have began to ealize that the person I desired to be was one to whom God would rightfully say, “I never knew you.” I wanted to be self-righteous. I wanted a whiteness all my own. I wanted a purity I could see in the mirror. I wanted a goodness that could be counted and verified by way of external evidence. I wanted God to approve of me. I hated my inability to live up to my own standards. I hated that God's standards were so difficult to achieve. I expected so much more from myself. I wanted so much more for myself.

 

The in-breaking of God’s Gospel in Christ’s completed work began to stir my slumbering soul from sleep in hearing of His Good News accompanied song lyrics like this Hillsong classic, “Mighty to Save”

 

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

 

I began to realize exactly what Chambers expounds here. I was telling God that He could not save me. Not because I did not want it.  But becasue, in part, I wanted to do it myself.   I wanted to help Him save me.  But I was telling Jesus that He could not. That He was not capable. I was, in essence, telling Him that His completed work was not enough. It would take the Cross + __?__ to save me. I could not put my finger on the "?” from the equation above and as such lived in despair. I knew I was not complete, but I did not know how. I was focused on statements that began with, “I am ____,” when I needed to dwell upon statements that began with, “God is _____.”

 

As it turns out, it was not myself about whom I was wrong. I knew me. I knew I had failed. But I underestimated Jesus. I defiantly refused to believe that He could do what He clearly stated He already did. I did not believe in the power of His life, His death, or His resurrection. I knew that they were sufficient to save somebody, I just wasn’t sure it was enough for me. After all, if I was saved, why didn’t my life look more like His in response?

 

The answer: I did not believe in Him as my righteousness. I would not allow Him to save me because I distrusted Him to do it without my help. If you are struggling with your faith, wrestling with your failure, and finding yourself wanting in response to this perfect Jesus and His perfect Law, pick one of the two options Chambers proposes:

 

“either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot.”

 

Receive the Gospel or tell Him that His Gospel falls flat. Do not make this about your inability. Do not make this about how much you question yourself. God knows you suck. He’s convinced. That is why Jesus had to die. Stop trying to argue with Him about why you don’t deserve it. He knows you don't, that's why it is His mercy and grace that provide it as a gift.  Now receive what He is willing to do for people who suck like you or tell Him that He is weak where you are strong in doubting Him.

Today, Thanksgiving, would be a fitting day if you have not previously done so, to accept God's gift of righteousness revealed in Christ and live in view of God's mercies as you renew your mind and surrender your body as a living sacrifice.