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Believing God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine

Give Up Self-sufficiency

April 14, 2022 By Phil Ressler Leave a Comment

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew 26:26–28, ESV

I’m okay. You’re okay. But that is not okay. Because not everything is okay. Each of us have our struggles. We can’t do it all alone. And God never meant for us to do it alone. He gave us each other to rely and depend upon.

If you could have fixed your struggle alone, you would have already done so. But we don’t ask for help. We don’t ask for prayer. We trudge along ourselves. Stuck and spinning our wheels! Give up self-sufficiency. Strive for mutual dependency with others and you will get much further.

Today is Maundy Thursday. It was on this day that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as he shared the Passover with his disciples. He says, “take eat and take drink for the forgiveness of your sins.” The Lord’s Supper is not for perfect people who have their act together. It is for people who struggle, are needful, and yearn for God’s help.

Forgiveness is not something earned. It is not something we can accomplish on our own. It is only Jesus that has won forgiveness. It is only through him that we receive it. No matter how much you try, no matter how much you do, you can’t accomplish it on your own.

Salvation is 100% dependent upon Jesus. But many people think that doing their best at being a good person is the ticket to salvation. But heaven is not for good people. It is for sinners who have been forgiven. It is for sinners who have given up self-sufficiency for total dependence upon Jesus.

We fear being a charity case. We resist the idea of being needful. But the Greek root for grace is “charis.” This is where we get the word charity. We are all charity cases in need of God’s grace. We need the Lord, every hour, every day.

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