Can't Do It On Your Own

In the past couple of weeks, I have started listening to a daily radio show/podcast that talks a lot about life, relationships, and money.

There are dozens of stories that I have heard that have made me cringe. Some sound very familiar, and some are truly inspiring.

A majority of these stories involved people trying to get out of debt.

During one of these conversations, a husband and wife were telling their story about how they got into debt and how they got out.

The husband said something interesting. He said, “I realized that my decisions got me into debt, and I needed someone else to help me get out.”

Talk about a gut punch. It is my fault that I am in debt now.

I think many of us can identify with this idea – our decisions got us into whatever jam we are in, so why would our decision-making get us out. If we could trust our decision-making then we probably wouldn't be in trouble in the first place.

Now, I understand this logic may not be applicable in every circumstance because sometimes other people can make our situation worse or other people can actually enable bad/wrong behavior.

However, I am thinking of coaches, counselors, pastors, spouses, etc. People who really want to help you get out of whatever jam you find yourself in.

The problem is many of us don't want to admit we need help.

“Only crazy people go to counselors.”

“I am not going to pay someone to listen to me and tell me what I already know.”

“What does that pastor know anyway?”

Any of those sound familiar?

We approach God and our faith the same way. Many people think that they can earn God's love. Or that they just need to be a good-enough person – you know my good deeds outweigh my bad.

But, Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 say, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Here is the simple, and direct, truth: You are not good enough to go to heaven. And you never will be.

But God created THE way to be saved – through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection.

The question for you today is do you believe that. Not just believe it happened, but believe it enough to submit your life to it.

Think of it this way, you can believe a plane exists and will fly, but it is another to actually get on the plane and fly somewhere in it. That is the kind of belief I am talking about – the faith to get on board with Jesus.

Because He is the Prince of Peace, and He is the Savior.

You and I get ourselves in a lot of jams, one of them being sin. And there is no way our actions can get us out of it. Only Jesus can – someone had to come and live the life we couldn't live and die the death we should have died.

That is how much God loves us.

Submit to Him and let Him set you free.

Anyway, I was just thinking...