Note to Self: You Can Do Nothing

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:3-5 ESV)

I can do nothing. That is true death to self; not choosing to live in a certain way, but recognizing that there is no way of living that can win the Father’s favor. Losing my life for his sake is simply coming to the realization that apart from Him, I can do nothing. I cannot ever redeem myself by leaving off doing bad things nor taking up doing good. I cannot ingratiate myself to God by anything I do or think. I am helpless apart from Christ.

Lying in bed last night this hit me again like a ton of bricks. He has made me clean by the word He has spoken to me – the good news we call gospel – through the power of the Holy Spirit. To die to myself is to accept that this is not of me, not dependent on me, not waiting for me. This is a gift to be accepted, not wages to be earned. I have received it and now I must simply enjoy it.  The death to self is the death of self-determined destiny – the death of trying to manipulate God or my circumstances or the people around me to create a specific outcome of my own will. God has determined the outcome and He will make it so. This is the freedom for which Christ has set me free.

Dying to ourselves is not an act of our will, but an act of God’s will. He chose to place us in Christ so that we might share in His suffering and death, and also His resurrected life. Dying to self is accepting that this is all from God and of God and that there is nothing I can do to enhance it or detract from it. If I abide in this gift, he will dress me and cause me to bring forth much fruit. If I pursue death to self as something I must earn, independent of Christ, then it never comes. Death is resting from works that seek to bring about life. It is blissfully abiding in the life more abundant, with all of it's joys, trials and persecutions.

When we struggle to die to self, we show that we do not yet understand what death to self means. Death to self comes not with struggle, but with release. Release of our will to please God with the understanding that God is pleased with us only as we abide in His son. Until then, we are of no use to God. We can do nothing.

That is the gospel truth.

God Bless