The Christian life is not hard. It’s impossible. We can no more live the impossible Christian life on our own than we can get to heaven on our own. Jesus’ words by the Sea of Galilee prove it true.
(Photo: The Plain of Bethsaida, where Jesus fed the 5000. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
In fact, your own experience proves it true, doesn’t it?
- Success in marriage is always beyond your ability.
- Your walk with Christ is more than you can accomplish.
- Daily responsibilities overwhelm you.
Every method and strategy you rely on seems to fail. But God never designed the impossible Christian life to frustrate you. He has intended life to work a certain way—and when we choose a different path, frustration kicks in.
In three rapid-fire events by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus teaches His disciples (and us) how to live the impossible Christian life.
3 Laps around the Lake
Once we believe in Jesus, He begins to use us to do great works of ministry. But we forget Jesus also uses the ministry to do a great work in us. Notice the pattern:
- Jesus sent out His apostles two by two for a quick mission trip on their own (Mark 6:7-13, 30). He instructed them to take nothing for the journey. This taught them to depend on God alone.
- After they returned from their trip, Jesus involved His disciples in the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 (6:33-44). This taught them the inadequacy of their own resources and the abundant adequacy of regularly relying on God.
- Immediately, the Lord put His disciples in a boat and sent them ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (6:45-52). The storm that followed and Jesus’ coming to them by walking on the water showed them—as with the previous miracles—that their inadequacies matter little when they rely on God.
(Photo: Mosaic of fish and loaves miracle. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
How to Live the Impossible Christian Life
The Lord will call you to do what you cannot do on your own. The good news? He will also enable you to do it. How?
- By convincing you that going it alone is a recipe for failure. You need Him.
- By showing you that success occurs when you continually come to Christ and draw on His resources to meet the need.
I urge you to push against the habits you’ve settled into. The limiting beliefs that keep you from trust. You are not too old to change. You’re only set in your ways if you choose to be.
The alternative? Spiritual growth.
The Christian life is the life of Christ lived in and through the life of the Christian. Jesus said:
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. —John 15:5
Of course, His words go beyond a plaque on a wall. He means that we etch them in our hearts.
Do you think Christ knows the impossible circumstances you’re in? Of course He does. So, if Christ calls you to do something, and the resources you have prove inadequate, He must have a source of supply outside of yourself.
Tap into that supply by continually coming to Him.
Tell me what you think: What helps you live the impossible Christian life? To leave a comment, just click here.