Lent Day 12 – Not Designed for Solitary Effort

We Christians usually have good intentions when it comes to obeying God’s precepts and trying to live as Christians in a challenging environment. Despite our best efforts, we often fall short of the bar that we set for ourselves, how much more, the bar that God sets for us. However, we know to pick ourselves up and keep up the good fight, trying to be and do better every new day we are blessed with.

We have read in scripture that we are supposed to do all things with Christ. Often times, we do not remember this but here is a consideration of five biblical rules that I truly believe we should never try to comply with by ourselves.

1. FORGIVENESS: (Matt. 6:14-15) The humanly impossible rule to forgive all the time, as God forgives us, over and over, is not meant to be done in one’s own strength. When done without the invocation of the power of the Holy Spirit, it is often incomplete or short-lived. The pains and memories come back, possibly triggering vengeance at the worst and resentment at the best. A sense of perpetually being a victim or being taken advantage of sets in and one becomes locked in one’s own emotional prison cell. The only way to do it the way it should be done is to harness the power of The One who gave us the instruction; a power that is already available with us.
2. CHARITY/AGAPE LOVE: (Roman 13:10; 1 John 4:21) We keep on coming back to this (see last few posts), and rightly so, because it sums up all the commandments. This particular one should have come with a bold warning label:  WARNING – Not meant to be done without asking for the Spirit’s wisdom or help. You will be rejected, misunderstood, mocked, taken for granted, even treated harshly like the disciples were; all because you choose to obey God above your own feelings. Don’t be discouraged, God has your back. He will protect you like the apple of His eye from anything that can break or damage you, just go on letting His love pass through you everywhere you go. Remember that He causes His sun to shine on the good and the bad.
3.  (CHRISTIANS) SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO ONE ANOTHER IN FEAR OF GOD: (For #s 3-5, see Ephesians 5:21-25, 28. Also Col. 3:18-19). Here is a general rule that relates to Christian living if one fears God. Examples would include: Bearing one another’s burdens -charity; living for others – selflessness; not focusing on one’s importance or promoting one’s self needlessly-humility. We need a submissive spirit in life to obey even the most fundamental will of God  or to do things for His sake in every situation. The common thread through these examples is that they are instinctively opposite to human inclinations. So how can we do this by ourselves??? .
4. WIVES, SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO YOUR HUSBANDS AS UNTO THE LORD. Often kicked at and selectively ignored even by Christian women who readily acknowledge their husband as the head of the home, it is meant to be taken in the context of its preceding and subsequent verses. (3&5). When considered this way, this requirement of  a wife’s submission to her husband out of reverence for the Lord, is a logical next step. If a wife can submit to other Christians  in a fellowship community as described above by the power of God’s Spirit, how much more harder is it to submit to one’s husband, by the power of God’s Spirit as well? One would do well to consider  two things: a) Given that reverence for God is the underlying premise of this rule, the requirement to be submissive inherently assumes that God’s way of doing things is the foundation and consistent goal of the marriage; b) This requirement for wives is probably easier than the requirement levied on husbands below, although they appear to be two sides of a coin.
5. HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT….LOVE YOUR WIVES AS YOUR OWN BODIES. HE THAT LOVES HIS WIFE LOVES HIMSELF:  Not as commonly referenced is this requirement for an exceptionally high standard of love to be shown to wives. Christ’s love for the church is overflowing, faithful and loyal to the point of death, notwithstanding the imperfections and failures of the church. There is no constant criticisms of its weaknesses, just a desire to see fruitful growth. This sounds like a tall order for even the most patient husband; prompting one to remember again that it cannot be done without the power of the Spirit. It is not hard to imagine that this kind of love from a husband is almost automatically reciprocated with the submission  and reverence required from the wife. While one could argue that God first loved the world; each person, husband or wife, will face their God independently and cannot use the failure of their spouse in obeying this rule to justify their own failure.

The Holy Spirit is our designated Helper for all things. We bang our heads against the wall when we attempt to obey the rules of Christian living without this help and power that is  readily available and waiting to be called upon. The frustration we feel becomes a window for the enemy of our souls to come in and sow seeds of discord and doubt. May God give us wisdom to ALWAYS access and harness the power He has given us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Amen.

 

Lord , we ask that you honor your Word – that according to the riches of Your glory, You may grant us to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in our inner beings , Amen- Ephesians 3:16 scripture prayer.

Likewise, The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses – Romans 8:26