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Hold Me, Jesus
Hold me, Jesus – that’s the constant cry of my heart. I yearn to turn to Jesus moment by moment, in every situation. I’m eager to stop trusting my own solutions. I long to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I really do. And I know on the authority of Scripture that life goes so much better when I do.
I Am A Mess
But the truth is, I am a mess. I continually forget who I am and what I am supposed to be about. I easily default to looking at the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, as a one time event and not a living reality, and unfortunately I’m not the only one.
So often, we hear the gospel, confess that we are sinners and accept Jesus’ death on our behalf. We ask Him to live in our hearts, savor the hope of heaven, and then get up, brush the gospel off our hands like crumbs, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get on with the “real business” of Christian living.
How is that working for you?
Failed Again
Let me tell you how it’s working for me. At times, I do have some good days, successful days, almost holy-looking days – which I immediately spoil by practically breaking my arm patting myself on the back. More often, I have bad days, really bad days. I get angry, whiney, and self-consumed. I am critical. I pout. I manipulate. And then, as if that weren’t enough, I go to great lengths to develop weak excuses for my sin.
Have you discovered, as I have, that I just can’t live this Christian life on my own? Jesus’ disciples learned this the hard way.
We Are All Incapable
Remember the time that Peter boldly proclaimed his desire to walk on water, and did – right before he began to sink under the waves. Think back to that unforgettable incident when the children spontaneously ran to Jesus, only to have the disciples jump out and bar their way. Or worst of all, recall what happened at the Last Supper when Jesus vulnerably reveals that one of His own would betray Him, and the disciples, completely self-consumed, immediately turned and began to argue with themselves about who would be the greatest in heaven.
As we stand before Christ, we are all sinners and without a single hope in the world. As we kneel before Him, we are forgiven. But we are still incapable of living this Christian life on our own. Jesus puts it this way, 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 (NASB). Apart from Him, we can do nothing.
Left alone, I can’t be nice to the kids when they are driving me crazy, and you can’t love that co-worker who is constantly stabbing you in the back. You won’t be able to sustain sacrificial giving to an ungrateful husband who never gives back. And I wish you luck trying to be sweet when you are PMS-ing one week out of every month.
Only Christ
Without Christ, we can do nothing. But the good news of the gospel, Jesus rescuing the helpless, is still there for you and me. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” I can’t but He can. Jesus is the answer.
As we abide, rest, draw life from Him, He produces the Christian life through us. He can be patient with the kids, through you. He can provide the necessary love for that unlovable co-worker and ungrateful husband in you. Jesus can bring peace to your mind and patience to your voice, even in the midst of raging hormones.
Yes, I am a mess. May the cry of my heart always be, “Hold me, Jesus – You’re my only hope.”
Listen to audio “Hold Me, Jesus” & Learn
In the original Star Wars movie, Princess Leah sent an urgent holographic distress message saying only this, “Help me, Obi-Won Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” We would be wise to do the same. We can try to fix, shore-up, rearrange, or cover up our deep need but it will only pop up in a different way at a different time. Instead, let’s rejoice in the sure rescue that will always come when we cry out, “Help me, Jesus, You’re my only hope.”
- Rejoice in the stunning simplicity of God’s constant provision
- Learn why the good news of the Gospel just gets better and better
- Receive and apply the help and hope that you need
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