Our Need For God
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
What would your life be like if you were perfect? What would your day-to-day look like? How would you make your decisions? Who would you spend time with? Most likely, your life would look very different if you were perfect, because as of right now, you’re not perfect at all.
But have you ever considered this: if you were perfect, you wouldn’t need God would you? If you were perfect, you could do everything on your own. You would know everything, and you wouldn’t need God’s help, guidance, and protection.
1 John 1:8 says if we claim to be perfect, we are only fooling ourselves. But that same passage also says, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). In other words, we do not travel along this pilgrim journey for ourselves and by ourselves. Instead, it’s when we’re at our weakest that the grace of connection to God is evident.
Paul knew firsthand how our imperfections draw us closer to God. He prayed and prayed that God would take away a thorn in his flesh, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses [of my imperfections], so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
You see, our power as Christians is not in our strength, our own performance, or our own striving towards perfection. Our power comes when we can admit our vulnerability, our weakness, our neediness, and our dependence on the Lord. It was when Paul accepted his weaknesses and his imperfections that he discovered how strong he was in God.
It’s when we are at our wits end that we discover that His ways are higher than our ways. It’s when we can’t do something that we discover He can. It’s when we realize the power is not in us that we find our strength in Him. Our imperfection is the pathway to the grace of God. It’s in that connection that we find His grace is indeed sufficient, even in spite of our weaknesses.
What would your life be like if you were perfect? What would your day-to-day look like? How would you make your decisions? Who would you spend time with? Most likely, your life would look very different if you were perfect, because as of right now, you’re not perfect at all.
But have you ever considered this: if you were perfect, you wouldn’t need God would you? If you were perfect, you could do everything on your own. You would know everything, and you wouldn’t need God’s help, guidance, and protection.
1 John 1:8 says if we claim to be perfect, we are only fooling ourselves. But that same passage also says, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). In other words, we do not travel along this pilgrim journey for ourselves and by ourselves. Instead, it’s when we’re at our weakest that the grace of connection to God is evident.
Paul knew firsthand how our imperfections draw us closer to God. He prayed and prayed that God would take away a thorn in his flesh, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses [of my imperfections], so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
You see, our power as Christians is not in our strength, our own performance, or our own striving towards perfection. Our power comes when we can admit our vulnerability, our weakness, our neediness, and our dependence on the Lord. It was when Paul accepted his weaknesses and his imperfections that he discovered how strong he was in God.
It’s when we are at our wits end that we discover that His ways are higher than our ways. It’s when we can’t do something that we discover He can. It’s when we realize the power is not in us that we find our strength in Him. Our imperfection is the pathway to the grace of God. It’s in that connection that we find His grace is indeed sufficient, even in spite of our weaknesses.
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