Ah, humility and weakness...

Jacob 4:7 “Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.”

   The only way that we can ever get to be like Jesus and Heavenly Father is through submitting our wills to Theirs. They will not change anyone; indeed They cannot. But if I will make the conscious decision to let Them make me what They desire, They will. It’s really that difficult and simple. In order to gain the Celestial Kingdom, I must become godly myself. But the only way to do that is not through my efforts alone, but in tandem with the enabling power of the Lord. Grace works to save us, not only at the end of our efforts (after all we can do), but during our efforts to make ourselves better. If we try to make ourselves better by ourselves, we fail. Always. Every time. But if we ask for the help of God along with our efforts, which is a gift of grace to us, then we progress. It may not seem lioke a big distinction to you, but it makes every difference to me.

   You see, I have come to realize, again, that my efforts to do better against my shortcomings and my addictions are ultimately futile, because my strength of will, although a bit considerable, is ultimately finite. Eventually, I will fail. But Jesus never fails. Therefore, if I rely on Him, then I can’t lose. The only way I can is if I do nothing.

 

Also Jacob 5:22 “And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.

   The Lord plants where He thinks is the best, not according to what others think. I may be a poor spot of ground now, or have been in the past; but as the Lord nourishes me, I can be fruitful. I just need time and patience. (True, later on that piece of ground brings up bad fruit, but eventually it gives good fruit. It just takes work and patience.)