THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS IMPOSSIBLE
I have some bad news...the Christian life is impossible.
Yep. I mean that.
Some would define the Christian life as having a certain set of beliefs, but it’s much more than that.
Others think of it as a way of identifying yourself or a group you are a part of, like someone might be a Girl Scout or Norwegian or a Republican or Jake from State Farm. It’s much more than that.
Still others think of it as an activity you add to your life – “I attend church on Sundays and tithe and I’m in a small group.” That may be true, but the Christian life is much more than that.
Living up to Jesus’ standard
The Christian life is a completely new life, a new way of life, and the goal is to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus - “from the beginning God decided that those who came to Him ... should become like His Son” (Romans 8:29).
God’s will for your life is for you to live as Jesus would in your particular situation and circumstances. God wants you to be just like Jesus in terms of your character, attitude, purpose, and perspective.
Uh oh.
If I told you to play basketball just like Lebron James, you would say, “I’d love to, but that’s impossible.” If I asked you to sing just like Adelle or Luciano Pavarotti, you would tell me, “That is impossible.” And you’d be right. They are exceptional at basketball and singing, and we mere mortals couldn’t possibly live up to their standard.
God tells us he wants us to live just like Jesus. Yet Jesus was exceptional at life. At:
Making the right decisions.
Forgiving.
Walking away from temptation.
Loving, serving, and sacrificing.
Staring fear in the face and moving ahead with courage.
Jesus did all of that perfectly. I know me, and you know you, and the reality is we mere mortals could not possibly live up to Jesus’ standard. That’s the bad news.
But I have good news: We are not mere mortals.
The Holy Spirit Makes the Impossible Possible
There used to be commercials for Gatorade showing Michael Jordon making incredible basketball plays and then kids trying to make those same plays. A song played with the lyrics, “Sometimes I dream. That he is me. You’ve got to see that’s how I dream to be. ... Again I try. Just need to fly. For just one day if I could be that way. ... Like Mike, I want to be like Mike.”
It was cute, but it was also sad that these kids would never be like their hero. All they could do was dream because being like Mike was impossible.
Later, Gatorade released new ads showing orange Gatorade sweat coming out of Jordan’s pores and asking, “Is it in you?” The insinuation was that the Gatorade in MJ was what made him great, and if you got Gatorade in you, it would make all the difference; you could do what Michael could do.
I don’t believe that.
But here is something I do believe: “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3). So, the Christian life is impossible, but God has given us something that makes it possible. What is it? That’s the next verse. We get to “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
When you give your life to Jesus, he gives his life to you. Getting to partake in the divine nature refers to “the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God” (2 Corinthians 16:9). How amazing is it that “the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:9)?
The Spirit of God lives in you and empowers you to do what you cannot do on your own.
In Acts 1, we see Jesus with his disciples. It’s sad because Jesus is about to ascend to Heaven and leave them. It’s intimidating because Jesus gives them what seems to be an impossible mission.
The disciples had to be staring at him in disbelief, but then Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ... and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:4-5, 8).
I can hear Jesus saying, “You are not going to be able to accomplish what I created you to do in your own power. You need the Holy Spirit! So don’t even take another step until he’s in you and on you. When those are both true, it will make all the difference. You will have all you need. You will receive power.”
The Holy Spirit gives you the power to live the Christian life, to live just like Jesus. And this empowers you:
To make the right decisions.
To forgive when you don’t feel like it.
To walk away from temptation.
To love, serve, and sacrifice.
To stare fear in the face and move ahead with courage.
To act like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and tell others about Jesus.
Plugging Into the Impossible-Made-Possible
Many of the things you use on a daily basis need a power source – your television, refrigerator, and the lights in your house. They must be plugged in to work. If they’re not plugged in, they have no power.
You are no different.
To live a supernatural life, you need a supernatural power source. You have one, the Holy Spirit, but if you’re not plugged in, you won’t possess his power.
Far too often, I have tried to live without the power of the Holy Spirit. Then I wonder why this is so hard and why God expects something from me that I seem incapable of doing.
It’s made me realize my desperate need for God’s power and has led me to stop what I am doing and pray, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
Can I encourage you to add that specific prayer to your own life?
When you’re in a difficult conversation and don’t know what to say, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
When you are up with your kid in the middle of the night, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
When your boss isn’t appreciating your work, and you just want to quit, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
When you are tempted to go back to that same old sin, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
When you want God to use you to share your faith but you don’t know if you can do it, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit!”
Can I also encourage you to find moments to “plug into” the Holy Spirit every day? What does that look like? For me, it’s:
Getting into God’s word every morning.
Getting on my knees to pray every day.
Getting time with God’s people every week.
I already know God is with me and in me, but something special happens in my life when I plug in and pray, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit.”
I tap into his power.
The impossible becomes possible.
And something powerful awakens inside of me.
The result? I become more and more like Jesus, and what could be better than that?
TAKE ACTION
God’s goal for your life is for you to live like Jesus, which is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. This should be a priority, so ... what if you went all out and tried this for one full week?
Commit this week to:
Get up at least 15 minutes early to get into God’s word and get on your knees.
Praying, “God, fill me with your Holy Spirit,” every time you sense your need for more of him.
My hope is that when you see the tangible difference it makes, you’ll decide to keep doing this for the rest of your life.
Image from The Holy Spirit Series at Anthem Church. To watch messages from this powerful series, please visit Anthem’s YouTube channel
*If this has been helpful, please send me a message and let me know. And please help me by sharing this post with others who could benefit from it. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog. To sign up for my free newsletter about life, leadership, and the Bible, subscribe at www.bradjenkins.me/subscribe.