We rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again. 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

 

If it is to be, it is up to me. This pithy quote accurately expresses the way many of us live.[1]

There’s nothing wrong with giving ourselves a pep talk about getting up and doing something to change our circumstances—the Bible’s Proverbs contain many warning to us like: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied (Proverbs 13:4 ESV). If we’re doing life our way, absent relationship with God through Jesus, it’s true.  It is up to you and sadly, even desire matched with effort doesn’t always equal success in this life.

The follower of Jesus, lives in a different paradigm that Scripture reminds us of. It says, “We rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead,” (2 Corinthians 1:9a). Hear these two powerful truths: one, it isn’t all up to you, and the One on Whom you can rely for everything you need in life, raises the dead! Shifting our focus off ourselves and our pitifully limited abilities and resources and onto God, changes everything.

Do the problems in your life require resurrection power? Scripture declares that the God of the Bible “…creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 8:17b). You can go to God today with your open hands of need, your nothing.

 “Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us,”[2] one writer observed. But the life lived in the reality of God’s power, is a life anchored to bedrock, in the storms of life.

[1] Hardy, Benjamin. “The 2 Mental Shifts Highly Successful People Make.” CNBC, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2017, www.cnbc.com/amp/2017/03/13/the-2-mental-shifts-highly-successful-people-make.html.

 

[2] Clemence, Ruth. “4 Beautiful Lessons from the Life of Elisabeth Elliot – Topical Studies.” Bible Study Tools, Salem Web Network, 18 June 2020, www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/beautiful-lessons-from-the-life-of-elisabeth-elliot.html.