Quit Trying

I tried and tried to do well--but my well ran dry.

I tried harder, but it wasn't good enough.  I tried to be stronger, but my strength ran out.  I tried to act right, but my actions didn't measure up.

I kept coming up short, feeling the weight of my inadequacies, feeling the pain of messing up over and over.

Some days can seem like an uphill fight.  We do something stupid and then we're ashamed.  We know we want to do better.  

We want to do well with our lives. And then we come to the realization that we can try to do well--but our well runs dry.

So quit trying! 

That's right, quit trying! You're no match for sin!  In yourself, there’s nothing you can do to defeat it!  It’s a hopeless cause and we're just silly to think we can fight it on our own strength!

Remember when you gave your life to Jesus and you prayed something like 

"I can't do it on my own, Jesus, I give you my life!" and you were relieved?!  And you suddenly had hope!  And you were free to dream again!  

Friends, let's all get to that realization every day!  You knew when you hit rock bottom that you needed help--so don't walk away from this life-changing experience and think that you can now do it on your own!  Surrender again! 

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

Ephesians 2: 8-10