Hey Friend,
I was raised with the philosophy that you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. Self reliance was a good quality. I remember as a fairly young child, my parents purchased our first color tv. (okay now I'm really dating myself). They were so proud to have accomplished this achievement. We went to the store in our big old Chevrolet station wagon and the nice people at the store loaded it into the back of the car.
When we got home I watched as my parents struggled, on their own, to try to maneuver that thing in the house and up the stairs. When strategies clashed then an argument broke out. In my youthful ignorance, I piped up, "Why don't you ask one of the neighbors for help?" Sounded reasonable to me, but you would have thought I had uttered the unspeakable. "No," my father replied, "we can handle this ourselves." End of discussion.
The wall of self reliance was built up over many years. It's taken a long time, and the Lord is still at work, tearing down that old wall. In its place He's taught me that to "rely" or "depend" on someone else is, and can be, a good thing...especially if I am relying upon or depending upon the Lord. After all, "Apart from Him I can do nothing."
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
I admit that at first I didn't totally buy into this verse. I thought that on my own I could do 90% and I might need to rely on the Lord for the remaining 10%. God was my "go to guy" in prayer only when I reached the end of myself. We have a term for that; it's called pride.
Pride stands in the way of us experiencing true freedom - freedom to try, to dare, to risk because we are depending on ourselves and not on our Savior.
Ironically, dependence sets us free...let that sink in.
I like the way Oswald Chambers puts it: "The more you fulfill yourself; the less you will see God."
I used to wonder why God wrote this whole Bible of commands to follow when it was impossible to fulfill or complete them all...talk about a set up for frustration. Now, when I read them it brings me back to a dependence on Christ, because only through Him can the law be fulfilled perfectly and completely.
The Bible brings me back, ultimately, to a dependence on Christ!
Back up the scripture I quoted in John by one verse and you get an even better and clearer picture.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me." (John 15:4)
I love the word abide...it incorporates depending and relying. Read this wonderful passage from the book Abide In Christ:
"Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as a condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. It is a work He does for us - the fruit and the power of his redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform."
I am learning to rest in Christ and to go forth in His power.
What are you trying to do on your own? Are you trying unsuccessfully to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps?
Dependence is NOT a dirty word. The Lord yearns to have you lay down your burdens at His feet and simply abide, in Him. Trust Love's heart...you can depend on Him!!
One last thought on dependence: If we attempt to always "fix" others problems we are robbing them of the opportunity to depend deeply on their Savior. Our job is to point them toward Him...kind of like a giant directional arrow.
Remember too, that when you depend on the Lord, it gives others the permission to depend as well. We all need to know that we don't have to do life alone or all by ourselves. It's okay, in fact it's more than okay to depend on the Lord and to depend on others. The Lord sees you in your trials and He doesn't want you going it alone. He loves you deeply and furiously and wants you to come and rest and abide in Him. He is one person you can depend on and He's calling you to do just that. Be blessed...
In His love,
Bev
ps. $10 Challenge for Redeemer Christian School still needs YOUR help. Together we can bring Christ to a very dark corner of our world. As one person you can make a difference!!
Send cash or check made out to: Bev Rihtarchik
Memo line: Redeemer Christian School
Send to: Redeemer Christian School
c/o Bev Rihtarchik
103 Silver Lining Lane
Cary, NC 27513
Thank you :)
The wall of self reliance was built up over many years. It's taken a long time, and the Lord is still at work, tearing down that old wall. In its place He's taught me that to "rely" or "depend" on someone else is, and can be, a good thing...especially if I am relying upon or depending upon the Lord. After all, "Apart from Him I can do nothing."
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
I admit that at first I didn't totally buy into this verse. I thought that on my own I could do 90% and I might need to rely on the Lord for the remaining 10%. God was my "go to guy" in prayer only when I reached the end of myself. We have a term for that; it's called pride.
Pride stands in the way of us experiencing true freedom - freedom to try, to dare, to risk because we are depending on ourselves and not on our Savior.
Ironically, dependence sets us free...let that sink in.
I like the way Oswald Chambers puts it: "The more you fulfill yourself; the less you will see God."
I used to wonder why God wrote this whole Bible of commands to follow when it was impossible to fulfill or complete them all...talk about a set up for frustration. Now, when I read them it brings me back to a dependence on Christ, because only through Him can the law be fulfilled perfectly and completely.
The Bible brings me back, ultimately, to a dependence on Christ!
Back up the scripture I quoted in John by one verse and you get an even better and clearer picture.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me." (John 15:4)
I love the word abide...it incorporates depending and relying. Read this wonderful passage from the book Abide In Christ:
"Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as a condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. It is a work He does for us - the fruit and the power of his redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform."
I am learning to rest in Christ and to go forth in His power.
What are you trying to do on your own? Are you trying unsuccessfully to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps?
Dependence is NOT a dirty word. The Lord yearns to have you lay down your burdens at His feet and simply abide, in Him. Trust Love's heart...you can depend on Him!!
One last thought on dependence: If we attempt to always "fix" others problems we are robbing them of the opportunity to depend deeply on their Savior. Our job is to point them toward Him...kind of like a giant directional arrow.
Remember too, that when you depend on the Lord, it gives others the permission to depend as well. We all need to know that we don't have to do life alone or all by ourselves. It's okay, in fact it's more than okay to depend on the Lord and to depend on others. The Lord sees you in your trials and He doesn't want you going it alone. He loves you deeply and furiously and wants you to come and rest and abide in Him. He is one person you can depend on and He's calling you to do just that. Be blessed...
In His love,
Bev
ps. $10 Challenge for Redeemer Christian School still needs YOUR help. Together we can bring Christ to a very dark corner of our world. As one person you can make a difference!!
Send cash or check made out to: Bev Rihtarchik
Memo line: Redeemer Christian School
Send to: Redeemer Christian School
c/o Bev Rihtarchik
103 Silver Lining Lane
Cary, NC 27513
Thank you :)
