Without realizing it, we have a strong tendancy to have FAITH in human commitment- our own, and consequently other's- which is one reason we pressure ourselves and others to "be more committed." The Christian life however is lived "boasting in Christ Jesus, having NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh". The harder we try to live by the power of our own commitment the farther we move away from the reality of living by the power of the Holy Spirit. How can we tell the practical difference? Let me illustrate.
Remember the "Rock", Peter? The night our Lord mentioned He was being betrayed to His death, Peter swore up and down that he was going to follow Jesus even if it meant that he would be killed. Peter had great confidence in his commitment to Christ. Remember the Lord's response? "Peter, this night you'll deny you even know me 3 times, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. When you are restored, strengthen your brothers."
Peter did in fact fail, like we all do, when our faith is in the strength of our own commitment. But then comes the sulking, the disallusionment, the sifting of our hearts. We're ashamed and shattered, but instead of quickly returning to the Lord in the confidence He's all we need, we stay at a dark distance. We need him, but we are afraid we can't hold on to Him once we return, so we linger. Could it be that we're being held down because we've mistaken faith in our own commitment for faith in Jesus Christ?
Contrast this with Brother Lawrence. When he stumbled into some sin, he would say to the Lord, "Lord, that is all I can do apart from you." Then he would immediatly turn to the Lord to resume fellowship with Him in joyful confidence that God brings him into the fellowship of His own dear Son. This is the blessing of having a relationship with God based on the Solid Rock of Christ, rather than the shifting sand of our own commitment.
Jesus is not building His church on the blocks of our commitment to Him. In fact, our trust in ourselves must be shattered before He can lay a foundation on which He can build. Jesus is however very confident in the effectiveness of His intercession on our behalf sealed with His own blood.
By God's grace, like Peter, we too need to come to a wonderful but painful revelation. We all SUCK at living the Christian life. I'm terrible at it, so are you. But you know what? God has never failed to welcome me back into fellowship because the blood of His Son is so precious to Him. He will never turn away any who come to Him through Christ. Jesus IS the way to the Father. We come to the Father through Him, not our own commitment.
Our faith is never more fully in Jesus than when we have absolutely NO confidence in our ourselves. God gives us the relationship of His own Son as a gift. Oh what a gift!
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