ChristMyLife.org - Do nothing in your own strength

"Do nothing" are the words of Christ. He "did nothing" apart from the Father. He lived in perfect unity and submission to the Father in all things. As God-Man, He lived in the only way anyone can truly live.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, (Luke 4:1)

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19 NIV)

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30 NIV)

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. (John 8:28 NIV)

Jesus Christ lived on this earth exactly as we are supposed to live on this earth. As He was in complete submission to the Father, so we are to be in complete submission to Him. As He did nothing apart from the Father, so we are to do nothing apart from Him.

Even though Christ in Himself was completely perfect, He came to this earth, taking on human flesh and lived fully and completely as a man

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8 NIV)

Christ humbled Himself in complete submission and obedience. He perfectly modeled the spiritual truth that we gain the most when we give away our life. Christ submitted Himself fully to the Father's will, trusting Him in all things even as it led to the cross where Christ, in love, gave Himself to die in our place. Christ knew and understood the greatest gift He could give was to give Himself to the Father to be instrument of our salvation. If this is how Christ lived, how can we live any different?

The wonder that we must understand, then, is that our life is not found in ourselves or in the full realization of ourselves. As Christ gave Himself in complete submission to the Father, so we to must give ourselves in complete submission to Christ to become all that Christ would have us to be.

and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38-39 NIV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NIV)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

This is completely the opposite of our human nature and what the world around us teaches. In our own strength we look at dying to self and find it distasteful and we cannot even see the point of it. Our flesh cries out, "How can this be good for me?" How foolish and deceived we can be. If we reject this truth, we are in effect saying we don't trust God and that we know better how to run our lives. We want God's blessing, but we don't want to allow God to transform us into the image of His Son. We say we want God's will to be accomplished, except in our own lives. Our first and foremost responsibility for the work of God in this world is our own hearts. He loves us and cares for us more than we can imagine. In fact, Christ loves and cares for you more than you could ever love or care for yourself. Entrust your life to Him. Lose your life in Him so He can transform you into a new creation in Christ.

Let us consider Matthew 10:39 more closely, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Life is only in Christ and nowhere else. In ourselves we only have sin and death. Recognizing that we are "crucified (died) with Christ" (Galatians 2:20), we can allow the only source of life, Jesus Christ, to really live in us. Only as we lay aside all our own efforts, ideas and strength can we know the only true life. Clinging to ourselves is only clinging to death. There is nothing good apart from Christ and we can "do nothing" (John 15:5) apart from Christ.

Living a new life in Christ is not something we can do because all we can offer in our own strength is sin and death. We can't make our efforts "good" or pleasing to God by praying, reading the bible, going to church or any other effort of our own. Hallelujah! There is nothing I can do and nothing I need to do. All is accomplished in Christ. I need only to receive the gift of life we have in Christ. You may think I speak of our salvation, and it is true this is a wonderful gift in Christ, but our every moment is to be lived in Christ in the same way as we are saved. There is nothing good I have to offer from myself. I give Him myself, rest in Him and let His life, not my ideas or efforts, live in and through me.

For many of us, we think of the "deeper life" in Christ which I write of as something foreign to us or only obtainable by a chosen few who persevere and press on. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, this is the "easy" way and the only way where we can know the true and deep joy and peace which Christ promises to His followers. We think it is "easier" and "better" to do things our own way, but it is far, far better to follow the ways of Christ. Satan has deceived us into thinking the way of Christ is harder and more difficult, but actually the burdens, expectations imposed on ourselves as we live in the strength of our own flesh are far more difficult than anything we would receive from our loving Savior, Jesus Christ:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

There is much more to our life in Christ than what I am able to share in this brief article. Lord willing, I will write more soon. An outstanding book all of you should read concerning this subject is Andrew Murray's Abiding in Christ

I have also put together scripture on the subject of "Christ Dependent on the Father" and "Christ in the Believer" on my web site to make it easy to look at these truths in more detail.

[The personal note which was included in initial article email]

Hello Everyone,

I have been learning and growing in the Lord in the last few months in ways I never thought possible. I am really starting to see and experience a life dependent on and filled with Christ. One of the things which has been a HUGE help is meeting with some other men who have a deep passion and love for Jesus Christ. They have encouraged me and challenged me greatly. Reading articles and studying the scripture are important, but there is no substitute for genuine fellowship in Christ with fellow believers who really know the Lord.

I do pray that you may know and understand more and more the fullness of all that we have in Christ. There is so much more to our life in Christ than most believers ever imagine.

- Eric

March 2005

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