More Than We Can Manage

Sunday, April 07, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

John 15:3–5

Though Benjamin Franklin believed there was a God, he was far from being a Christian. Rather than placing his faith in Jesus, he planned to accomplish moral improvement on his own. In his Autobiography Franklin wrote, “It was about this time that I conceiv’d the bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection. I wish’d to live without committing any Fault at any time; I would conquer all that either Natural Inclination, Custom, or Company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a Task of more Difficulty than I had imagined. While my Attention was taken up in guarding against one Fault, I was often surpris’d by another.”

No amount of willpower, moral determination, or self reliance can change our innate sinful nature. Though of course this is true for the lost, it is just as true for Christians. It is not our strength that wins victories over sin and temptation and produces fruit from our efforts. It is God’s power alone that flows from our connection to Him that allows us to become what He intends for us to be. David said, “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect” (2 Samuel 22:33). We must be living in His strength if we are to fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.

Today's Growth Principle: 

God alone offers the strength and ability to overcome sin and temptation and become like Him.