The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11
Do you know that the enemy probably wants some people to be good? There are some people who are disciplined enough to pray regularly, avoid all kinds of sin, and live an exemplary life.
Why would the enemy want self-made good Christians in our churches? Very simple. So they can offer the wrong prescription to everybody else.
In another passage, Paul asks us, “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
Some will answer, “Yes, and I’m doing very nicely, thank you.”
Meanwhile, the rest of us are forced to say, “I try and try, and everything I try doesn’t work.”
But here is the beautiful thing: When we finally realize that everything we try doesn’t work, God has us right where He wants us. We have no where else to turn but to Him. None of us can boast about ourselves, but rather we can boast that our God knows what to do with those of us who have no power to do good on our own.
Dwight
PS. Why does God allow trouble in our lives? What is God doing with us? How does faith work? Why doesn’t hard work bring about the good life God desires for us, and what can we do instead? On 6/22/2019, in our Inner Wealth subscription, we’ll be looking at the big picture of faith and how all these things fit together.
