Genesis 39-40

Matthew 11

“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

In our world, we are surrounded by information, oftentimes rooted in self-actualization where we are on a quest to improve our behaviours or self-help strategies to make life better. These lead us subtly away from dependence upon Christ to dependence upon our own abilities to make life better. Behind some of this are elemental spiritual forces that would love to distract and take us away from the dependence upon the Creator of the universe.

Imagine we own a supercharged sports car with 500 horsepower that is so strong that when we step on the gas pedal, we can go from 0 to 100km/h in just under four seconds. If we stepped inside the car, put our hands on the wheel and start going “Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!” with our voice while pretending we are driving the car down the road, people around us would probably think we are crazy. Now, what if we thought instead of sitting inside the car, we are outside of the car, standing at the back. We decide to push the car down the road as we continue going, “Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!” Someone may call the police to say that we are not only obstructing traffic but also out of our minds! In both examples, what we fail to recognize is that a car is meant to run by an engine. In other words, what enables a car to move is the engine inside. 

Similarly, Christ is the engine to the Christian life. He does not call us to a life of righteousness and then say, “Good luck with that. I’ll be over here.” He is the engine that makes it work. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” In other words, Jesus is saying to us, “Learn from Me to live in dependence upon Me. As you depend on My strength and depend on My Personhood at work in your life, you are going to soar. You are going to be moving through this life differently because of who I am.”

Some of us may believe that the Christian life begins by receiving the forgiveness of our sins and then we live as though it somehow depends on us. But the truth is, we are yoked to God and that He is right there beside us, giving us the power and the energy to face whatever we are facing.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the reminder that I do not live this life by my own ability. You are the power and the strength inside me that enables me to live the Christian life. Praise You!