How would you respond when Jesus says to you, “You can do nothing without me!” Most of us might say, ‘Now, wait a minute! Look at all the good I’m doing! Or ‘you are right, I can do nothing worthwhile and I’ll never measure up!’ I ask myself, am I building my own self illusion that I’m doing so much ‘for’ Him? Or am I participating in His kingdom ‘with’ Him. He doesn’t need me to help out. But He desires my presence with Him because He is with me and in me.
“God’s got plenty of grace, he’s not in short supply. Our daily habits and disciplines are things that enable us to grow in grace. We grow in the degree to which God is active in our lives. That’s grace. That’s also knowledge. Knowledge is always an interactive relationship, isn’t it? And so, disciplines are things that help us. Grace is not opposed to effort. It’s opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is action. Let’s see.” - Dallas Willard
“Without Me you can do nothing: It isn’t that the disciples could do no activitywithout Jesus. They could be active without Him, as were the enemies of Jesus and many others. Yet they and we could do nothing of real, eternal value without Jesus.
F.F. Bruce mentions that, “Paul expresses the same truth when he says, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20), and ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13).”
Charles Spurgeon remarks, “‘Without Me ye can do nothing;’ if this be true of apostles, much more of opposers! If His friends can do nothing without Him, I am sure His foes can do nothing against Him.” - Based on The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik
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